Thursday, October 29, 2015

Simply Stamped

Today I decided to create a card for the Less Is More challenge. This week's challenge is a sketch, so I took it and ran with it.


I decided to go really simple this time and just use stamping. I've been itching to ink up the Brushstrokes stamp set, so I grabbed it from my stash and paired it with a whimsical sentiment from the Make A Wish set. To finish it off, I added a few sequins from Pretty Pink Posh. And, oh my gosh, it's one layer!


Supplies:
Stamps: Brushstrokes, Make a Wish (Mama Elephant)
Paper: Neenah Solar White
Ink: Apple, Sunshine, Mojito (Mama Elephant), Memento Tuxedo Black
Other: Shamrock, Raspberry, and Lemon Drop sequins (Pretty Pink Posh 4mm and 6mm)

Friday, October 23, 2015

Merry & Bright

One more for the Paper Smooches Sparks Challenge (Anything Goes). I was playing around with the wreath builder dies and I just had to create something sparkly and fun!

I cut a bunch of boughs from different green papers and then carefully layered them over each other to create the wreath. I used the bow dies to cut a bow for the top of the wreath and the snowflakes dies to cut ornaments. (It actually looks like a wreath my mom made me a few years ago!). I covered the snowflakes in Clear Wink of Stella and then used some Heidi Swapp Color Shine in gold to spritz some droplets over the whole thing. So cute!


Supplies:
Stamps: Holiday Cheer (Paper Smooches)
Dies: Wreath Builder, Snowflakes, Bows (Paper Smooches)
Paper: Neenah Solar White, Kraft, Gumball Green, Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler
Ink: Versamark
Other:  Gold embossing powder, Clear Wink of Stella, Gold Color Shine, Gold Rush Metallic Lustre

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Santa Is Watching

I'm playing along with the Paper Smooches Sparks challenge today! This week is Anything Goes and I've been trying to build up my stash of Christmas and winter cards before I'll need to start depleting it again this year.


I decided to use my Mom's love of snowmen for this card. My mom's been collecting snowmen figurines and stuffed animals for as long as I've known her (more than 30 years...). We used to tease her mercilessly when we were teenagers (we being my brother and I). A few years ago, she started to pare down her collection, but she still has several of her favorites that make their debut around Thanksgiving every year.

With that in mind, I used a little guy from Swanky Snowdudes for my main image. I colored him with Copics and then fussy cut around him, right on the black edge. I also stamped, cut, and colored the pole from the same set. I cut a tag using the Stitched Tag die and cut a fishtail banner for him to stand on (wanted to keep him grounded!). I also used the snowflakes die cuts to attach to the card a couple for the tag. I blended some Simon Says Stamp inks into the base of the card and the tag. When choosing the sentiment, I went with Santa is watching... My brother and I always used to say that the snowmen were actually spies for Santa and that Mom had so many because we were always up to something. I just thought it was appropriate for us! (It's actually much easier to read the sentiment IRL. It was hard to get a good picture of it!)


Supplies:
Stamps: Swanky Snowdudes, Holiday Cheer (Paper Smooches)
Dies: Stitched Rectangles (Simon Says Stamp), Snowflakes and Stitched Tag (Paper Smooches)
Paper: Neenah Solar White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Assorted Copics, Maliblue and Audrey Blue (Simon Says Stamp)
Other: Clear Wink of Stella, White Embossing Powder, Cream Crochet Thread

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Family Birthdays

I've been a little MIA lately, but believe me, I've still been crafting. I was actually making a series of holiday cards for my parents to give to their coworkers this year. That involved quite a bit of designing and then mass producing. Hence, my absence. But I'm back today with a couple of birthday cards that I've created for family.

First up is a card for my brother. I'm not so great with masculine cards, so it took me a while to come up with a concept.


I decided on something clean and simple and a little bit punny. I like how it turned out! I combined a couple of stamp sets from WPlus9 to create this simplistic look. It also just happens to fit in with the Less Is More challenge this week since the theme is Masculine. Perfect timing!

Supplies:
Stamps: Punny Produce: Pears (WPlus9), Wishing You (WPlus9)
Paper: Neenah Solar White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Soft Suede, Baked Brown Sugar, Pear Pizzazz, Garden Green

Next up is a card for my mother. Her card was easier to come up with. For as long as I can remember, my parents have talked about retiring to Florida. About a year ago, they bought a home in Sarasota, so they're taking steps to make their dream a reality. That means that whenever I think of them, I think tropical themes.


My Favorite Things recently released some stamps that remind me of my parents, so I snatched them up as soon as I could. I used them here to create a cute card for my mother. The "birthday" part of the sentiment is actually stamped in Versamark and then heat embossed in gold. The background for the sentiment has some yellow ink blended up from the bottom to give it a little depth.


There's a better picture so you can see the shine. It's much easier to read IRL. I was extremely happy with the way it came out! I think this reflects my mother perfectly!

Supplies:
Stamps: Happy Everything (Mama Elephant), Polynesian Paradise (My Favorite Things), Pineapple Background (My Favorite Things)
Dies: Stitched Ovals (Simon Says Stamp), Polynesian Paradise (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Neenah Solar White, Sahara Sand
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Sunflower and Freshly Cut Grass (Lawn Fawn), Lemon Chiffon (Simon Says Stamp), Assorted Copics
Other: Gold embossing powder, Clear Droplets 4mm and 6mm (Pretty Pink Posh)

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Masking Magic!

I'm back today with some more masking magic. It's an old technique, but much loved. I love one layer cards, but sometimes they can seem so sparse. That's where masking comes in handy!


I played around with placement for quite a while before I settled on the trio of images in the bottom left. I didn't want it to seem too cluttered, but it felt like these images belonged together! And I just love that little mouse with the pumpkin! So cute! I stamped all of images and then masked off the top of my card so I could blend some distress inks for the grass. Then I reversed and masked the bottom, so I could carefully blend some Sea Glass ink out from the ground. This helped me fade the color into the white on the top portion.

After all the blending, I removed the masks (and wow were there a lot!). It's like magic! The ground and sky were there, but my images were all still snowy white! I used my copics to color the rest and then added a gold heat embossed sentiment. I was thinking about adding sequins, but I thought a trio of falling leaves would look better and less cluttered. I settled for adding a little clear Wink of Stella on top of them for a bit of shine!

I'm entering this cute card into two challenges this week. The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge was to create an Autumn card and the new Less Is More Challenge is to create a one layer Autumn card. I had so much fun with this one!
Supplies:
Stamps: Harvest Mouse (My Favorite Things)
Paper: Neenah Solar White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Copics, Distress Ink (Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint), Sea Glass (Simon Says Stamp)
Other: Clear Wink of Stella, White gel pen, Gold embossing powder

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Confession Time...

So I have a confession to make...

I'm so much more productive when my husband leaves town! Not that I don't miss him, but I find myself more able to focus on projects than when he's home. I've already completed 2 cards this morning and it's just barely noon! I hope this continues through the day!



First up is a card I created for the Less Is More challenge. This week the challenge was to use jewel tones. I just got my Simon Says Stamp card kit in the mail about a week ago and I'm in love with this heart stamp! I thought it would be perfect for a stained glass look using the jewel tones! I heat embossed it in gold and then used my copics to color in the rest. I cut a banner with a die I have and then heat embossed the sentiment in white. To finish, I added a few gold Pretty Pink Posh sequins. I adore how this turned out!

Supplies:
Stamps: I See You (Simon Says Stamp)
Dies: Small Folded Banners (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Kraft, Basic Black
Ink: Versamark, Copics (R39, Y08, G28, BG18, B18, V09)
Other: Gold and White embossing powder, 6mm and 4mm Gold Sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)


Next up is a card for the Addicted to CAS challenge. The code word this week is Dream. I immediately thought of this sentiment from Sweet Stamp Shop. One of my absolute favorites! I cut a rectangle of white paper and then stamped my bunnies in Memento Tuxedo Black. I then cut a mask from some masking paper and covered them up. I cut another mask to use to separate the ground from the sky. I used distress inks to blend the night sky and the grassy hill. I loved removing the mask and seeing the beautiful scene it created! I used my copics to color the bunnies and then heat embossed the sentiment in white. I experimented with a couple colors for the card base before I settled on Kraft. I wanted to heat emboss the rest of the sentiment, but I didn't want the base to be too dark. I'm obsessed with Kraft today, so no big surprise that I chose it! I added a little clear Wink of Stella to the bunnies' tails, but it doesn't show up in the photo.

Supplies:
Stamps: Wishing You (WPlus9), Royal Wish (Sweet Stamp Shop)
Dies: Stitched Rectangles (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Kraft, Neenah Solar White
Ink: Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics (C1,C3,C5, E31, E34, E35), Distress Ink (Faded Jeans, Chipped Sapphire, Seedless Preserves, Forest Moss, Shabby Shutters)
Other: Clear Wink of Stella, White embossing powder

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

A Cup of Thanks

I wanted to send a thank you card to someone I follow on Instagram because I won a giveaway that she was having about a week ago, but I didn't have anything I really wanted to send. I decided to take two challenges and mash them up in order to design a new card I wanted to send to her!

I masked off the sides of my card and then used Simon Says Stamp inks in Green Apple and Maliblue in order to create an ombre effect background. I kept it simple so the focus would be on the sentiment. I used dies to cut circles from blue and white cardstock and then used gold embossing powder for the sentiment and my trusty copics to color the image. Easy peasy, but quite striking with the simple background. I finished it off with a little clear Wink of Stella on the liquid in the cup so it looks more realistic in real life. Then I added some Pretty Pink Posh sequins in Lime Sorbet, Fresh Mint, and Aquamarine so they blend well with the background.

I'm entering this card into The Challenge #45, which was a sketch, and the Lawnscaping Challenge, which is to focus on the sentiment.


Supplies:
Stamps: Love You A Latte (Lawn Fawn)
Dies: Stitched Circles (Simon Says Stamp), Circles (Stampin' Up)
Paper: Neenah Solar White, Coastal Cabana
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Green Apple (Simon Says Stamp), Maliblue (Simon Says Stamp), Assorted Copics
Other: Sequins: Fresh Mint, Lime Sorbet, Aquamarine (Pretty Pink Posh), Clear Wink of Stella, Gold Embossing Powder

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Bushel and a Peck

I needed to make a birthday card for my grandmother who's turning 80. I looked through my stash and there just wasn't anything that stood out to me as something I'd want to send to her. Luckily, I had just happened to catch the Harvest Mouse set at Simon Says Stamp when it was briefly back in stock. It has the perfect sentiment!



I know it's not a traditional birthday card, but my family always said this to each other when I was a kid. In fact, we used the whole line "I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck." I don't know why we started saying it, but we always said it. When I first saw this set, I knew I had to have it. The images are darling and this one sentiment is something I know I'll use again and again.

On to the card... I used my favorite pigment inks from Mama Elephant to sponge an ombre sky using Orangeade and Buttercup. The inks blend so smoothly and look beautiful! When I die cut the pieces for the grassy scene, I sponged on some Mojito ink to white card stock. I definitely need some more Mama Elephant inks! (Just don't tell my husband!) After assembling the scene, I die cut the mouse and other pieces and then stamped on the die cuts. I find I get a better image this way since the dies are solid instead of see through. I used my copics to color the images and then arranged them in a way that looked pleasing to me. I heat embossed the sentiment on some Early Espresso cardstock and then used a die from Paper Smooches to add the stitched detailing to the edges. I love their dots and dashes set, it makes it so easy to add a detailed edge to something you don't have a die cut for! I added a few marigold Pretty Pink Posh sequins to the card and I was done!


Since this card is for my grandma, I decided to dress up the inside a little, too. I simply stamped another mouse and colored her in with copics and then stamped my sentiment in Early Espresso Ink. (Sentiment is from Wishing You by WPlus9.)

Supplies:
Stamps: Harvest Mouse (MFT Stamps), Wishing You (WPlus9)
Dies: Stitched Rectangles (Simon Says Stamp), Grassy Fields (MFT Stamps), Rolling Hills (MFT Stamps), Harvest Mouse (MFT Stamps), Dots & Dashes (Paper Smooches)
Paper: Neenah Solar White, Early Espresso, Kraft
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Early Espresso, Assorted Copics, Mama Elephant Pigment inks in Orangeade, Buttercup, and Mojito
Other: White embossing powder, white gel pen, Marigold sequins (Pretty Pink Posh)

I'm also going to enter this card into two different challenges. The Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge (Ombre) and Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes).

Friday, October 2, 2015

Bah Hum-dog

Today's card was inspired by the Less Is More recipe "something shiny" and the Sandy Allnock free class series Go For the Gold. I just received some happy mail from Sweet Stamp Shop and couldn't wait to ink up this festive stamp set!


Isn't that image just adorable!?  The set comes with a Santa hat or reindeer antlers that you can add to the puppy. It also has a Rudolph nose and another, smaller, image of the dog in the hat. I just love this set! Inspired by the Go For the Gold class, I used gold as the main theme for the card. The base uses gold foil paper and the sentiment is all heat embossed in gold. I even added a little gold Wink of Luna to the antlers! I used warm gray copics for the puppy so the main focus would remain on the gold and then added a little stencil of Sahara Sand ink over the image. I'll definitely be using this set often for my holiday cards!


Here's a quick close-up so you can see the fun shimmer of all the gold!

I'm also going to upload this card to the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes!).
Supplies:
Stamps: Holiday Pup (Sweet Stamp Shop)
Dies: Stitched Rectangles (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper: Gold Foil, Neenah Solar White
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Copics (W1, W3, W5), Sahara Sand
Other: Circle Stencil (Simon Says Stamp), Gold embossing powder, Gold Wink of Luna