Born to Shop

I spent the last two days re-organizing my art studio.  The original plan was to set this room up so that I could use it to make my cards ... and my son, Jeremy, could use it to paint.  He has loved drawing and painting since he was little and now has his bachelor's degree in Visual Arts and is currently a teacher-on-call (substitute teacher) for both Art and English (as well as other subjects when he is asked).  I have taken over the art studio and am in there everyday ... sometimes for several hours.  So we cleaned out a storage room in the basement and he has now set up his own art space.  Last weekend he moved all his supplies from my art studio down to his and I now have a ton of space!!  Of course, I know I will fill it up fast, but for now, it's looking roomy and organized.

After all my hard work of the past few days, I treated myself by spending some play time and participating in today's Color Challenge from SCS (CC360 - Whisper White, Island Indigo, Pool Party - with the dessert:  use a sentiment as your main image).  I struggled with this a bit ... I have a hard time making all blue cards, but came up with a CAS card that is perfect for someone who loves to shop ... and we ALL have at least one friend like that :)  I substituted the closest colors I had to the challenge colors - Not Quite Navy and Baja Breeze.  Hope you like.

"Born to Shop"

Stamps:  Birthday Bakery (SU!); Born to Shop (Imaginisce)

Paper:  Not Quite Navy, Whisper White (SU!)

Ink:  Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  sponge, Baja Breeze seam binding ribbon, navy embroidery thread, adhesives, sticky strips and dimensionals

* * * * *

I sponged Baja Breeze ink on the Whisper White cardstock and then stamped the image overtop in Not Quite Navy ink.

I stamped the gift back in Not Quite Navy ink onto a scrap piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I used Baja Breeze Stampin' Write marker to color in the heart, and dots on the bag.  I cut a short length of navy embroidery thread to use for the handles and secured the ends to the back of the gift bag.  I cut and folded a short length of Baja Breeze seam binding to represent the tissue paper for the bag, and secured it to the back using sticky strips.  I mounted the completed gift bag on the card front, popping it up with dimensionals to add depth.  I used a tiny dot of Tombow to glue the handle to the bottom of the "s" in Shop.  I mounted the card front onto a card base of Not Quite Navy.

Life is a matter of moments ...

Today's card is for tomorrow's CAS (clean & simple) Challenge (CAS155) - photo inspiration (see photo below).  I really loved the beautiful colors of the sky and that was my focus for my interpretation of the photo.  I actually zoomed in on the very left-hand side, with the trees, green grass and sky with yellow and blue.  I used the Brayering technique for this card ... new to brayering, check out my Brayering Tips Sheet.  This card is made with all SU! products.  Hope you like and hope that you'll join us for the challenge this week.

CAS155 Photo Inspiration - "Summer Gold":

Here's my interpretation of the inspiration photo:

 

"Life is a matter of moments"

Stamps:  Lovely as a Tree (SU!)

Paper:  Wild Wasabi, Whisper White (SU!)

Ink:  Early Espresso, Garden Green, Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Baja Breeze (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  rubber brayer, post-it notes for masking, Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponge and adhesives

* * * * *

I masked the top and bottom of the Whisper White card front with post-it notes.  I brayered Wild Wasabi ink from the bottom upwards, about 1/3 of the way.  I brayered Baja Breeze ink from the top downwards, about 1/4 of the way.  I sponged So Saffron ink just below the Baja Breeze brayering, making sure to leave a little white space between the So Saffron and Wild Wasabi inks.  I removed the masks.

I inked the stamp with Early Espresso and Garden Green inks and stamped on top of the brayering, using the Stamp-a-ma-jig for positioning (I wanted the top of a few trees to be just above the masked area).

I sponged more Garden Green ink on the grass mounds at the bottom of the tree trunks.

I stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso ink and mounted the card front onto a card base of Wild Wasabi cardstock.

Pink Vellum Rose

Woke up to a bit of snow today.  Forecaster said we were going to have rain, rain, rain for the next week ... but I guess it was a little colder overnight than they expected and we got just a dusting of snow.  Enough to cover the ground and make everything look pretty and bright.  Sadly, the rain has just started, so the snow will be gone shortly.  Good day to stay inside and play in the art studio - at least for the morning.  The skills competition for the NHL is this afternoon and hubby and I will be watching that ... along with the All-Star game tomorrow - we LOVE hockey!

On to the card for today.  I just loved the Technique Lover's Challenge this week - (TLC361 - Inspired by Belleek Pottery)  ... that I had to make one more card using this technique of inking an embossing folder with a very subtle color.  I was inspired by Roxie's card (Rox71) on SCS this week.  She used vellum layers to make a delicate flower and I used her idea to create the rose for my card.  See Roxie's gorgeous card by clicking here.

"Pink Vellum Rose"

Stamps:  Happiest Birthday Wishes (sentiment) (SU!)

Paper:  Whisper White, Wild Wasabi (SU!); pink and green vellum

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Regal Rose, Garden Green (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Spellbinder's Rose Creations die-cut, Sizzix Little Leaves die-cut, Cuttlebug "Textile" embossing folder, Big Shot, 5/8" Sheer White ribbon, small brad, Crystal Effects, sponges, bone folder, brayer, sticky strips, glue dots and adhesives

* * * * *

I started with the rose ... I cut out several layers of pink vellum in varying sizes.  I sponged all around the outside of the petals and also in the very middle of the flowers with Regal Rose ink.  I used my bone folder to curl the edges of each petal downward (with the exception of the smallest flower to be used for the center).  I layered all the flowers together and threaded a brad through and secured the flower together.  I bent the petals from the top (smallest) flower up, overlapping them and used a few drops of Crystal Effects to hold them together (center bud of flower).  I they bent each flower upwards and then moved the layers around until I was happy with how it looked.

I used the Little Leaves die-cut with the green vellum to cut out two sprigs.  I sponged the edges of the leaves and up the stem with Garden Green ink.

I used my brayer to add a light layer of Crumb Cake ink to the inside of my embossing folder, added a layer of Whisper White cardstock and ran it through my Big Shot.  I trimmed it to size and then wrapped the sheer ribbon around the top, making a bow at the top, and off to one side (opposite side that the rose will be on).

I stamped the sentiment in Crumb Cake ink onto Whisper White cardstock and trimmed to size.  I wanted the sentiment to be very subtle and not take away from the rose focal point of the card.

I assembled all the layers onto a Whisper White card front, using glue dots to secure the rose and leaf sprigs.

I mounted the card front onto a card base of Wild Wasabi (doesn't show when looking at the front of the card - just for stability).

Out on a Limb

A beautiful day here on the Westcoast.  Nice and dry ... the rain has finally stopped and the sun is shining.  Hubby and I decided to take full advantage of the nice day and headed out for a walk along Crescent Beach (about 20 min. drive from our house).  We got some exercise, enjoyed the beautiful ocean views and then stopped in Ocean Park (next to Crescent Beach) for a delicious lunch at the Village Pub (our first time there).  It was a great way to spend some time together!

Once back home, I headed into the art studio to work on a card for today's Ways To Use It Challenge (WT359 - Looking back ... use at least two WT challenges from the past year on your card).  Well, I managed to fit in four previous challenges (WT312 - Seeing spots; WT322 - Terrific Trees; WT346 - Leaves; WT358 - Sew Beautiful).  I used the paper piecing technique on today's card (one of my favorite techniques!).  Hope you like.

"I'd go out on a limb for you"



Stamps:  Tree Swing, sentiment (Stampendous)

Paper:  Early Espresso, Whisper White, Soft Suede DP (SU!)

Ink:  Early Espresso; Stampin' Write marker:  Old Olive (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Cappuccino Twine (The Twinery), embroidery needle, 1/4" Early Espresso grosgrain ribbon, Tombow glue, and adhesives

* * * * *

I stamped the tree in Early Espresso ink onto Whisper White cardstock.  I stamped it a second time onto the Soft Suede polka-dot DP.  I cut out the tree trunk from the polka-dot paper and used Tombow glue to glue it on top of my image on the Whisper White cardstock.  I also cut out the base of the swing and glued it on top of the main panel.  I used my Old Olive Stampin' Write marker to color in the leaves on the tree.

I threaded a piece of Cappuccino Twine onto my embroidery needle and tied a knot at the end (this will be the knot that sits under the base of the tree swing).  I sewed the twine through my main panel, adding a little Tombow glue to hold it in place.  I repeated with a second piece of twine to finish the swing.

I mounted a large piece of the Soft Suede polka-dot DP onto a card base of Early Espresso.

I mounted the main panel onto a frame of Early Espresso cardstock and then mounted it to the card.  In hindsight I could have just used the card base to mount the main panel, along with a smaller piece of the polka-dot DP, but I originally had made a horizontal card and then changed my mind about the layout.

I stamped the sentiment in Early Espresso ink, mounted it on a frame of the same color and adhered it to the front of the card.

I wrapped the 1/4" grosgrain ribbon around the top of the card, tying a knot off-center.

Artistic Fern Sketch

Today's SCS Sketch Challenge was a little difficult for me ... I guess that's why they call it a challenge :)

I'm not great with diagonal shapes on cards and struggled a little putting this card together.  First I started with the main image (as it is now), but included patterned paper for the background and diagonal stripe.  It just didn't work for me ... so I ended up with a CAS (clean and simple) version for this sketch ... just using plain cardstock (along with one strip being dry embossed) so that the focus was all on the main image ... a beautiful stamp by Hero Arts called Artistic Fern.

SCS Sketch 369:

 Here's my version of the sketch above.  Hope you like.

 "Artistic Fern"

Stamp: Artistic Fern (Hero Arts)

Paper:  Always Artichoke, River Rock, Whisper White (SU!)

Ink:  River Rock; Stampin' Write markers: Old Olive, Always Artichoke (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  sponge, Sizzix "Square Lattice" embossing folder, Big Shot, three More Mustard brads, pencil, paper piercing tool, sticky strips, adhesives and dimensionals

* * * * * 

I inked the stamp with the Stampin' Write markers and stamped onto Whisper White cardstock.  I trimmed the image to size and mounted on a thin frame of Always Artichoke cardstock.  I sponged River Rock ink to soft the contrast.

I ran a strip of River Rock and a strip of Always Artichoke through my Big Shot with the Square Lattice embossing folder.  I trimmed them to size and mounted them on a card front of Always Artichoke.

I dry fit the main image and then used a pencil to mark where I wanted the three brads.  I pierced holes over my pencil marks and threaded through the brads.  Using sticky strips, I mounted the card front onto a card base of Always Artichoke (I used a separate card front so that the back of the brads would be sandwiched between layers.

I mounted the main image onto the card, popping it up with dimensionals to add depth.

Luck of the Irish and Irish Rose cards

Quick update ... I received an email that the link to the paper tole tutorial included with the rose card from yesterday, wasn't working.  Sorry about that ... I have now fixed the problem and the link is working.  Thanks Susan for letting me know ... I appreciate you taking the time to email me!!

Also I had to make another card for TLC361 - Inspired by Belleek Pottery :)

I used the same technique as the card earlier today for creating the "Belleek" background.  I've included in the photo below, the two lovely Belleek vases that my SIL has given me over the years (she's originally from Ireland), along with the card they inspired.  Hope you like.  

"Luck of the Irish"

Stamps:  Sincere Salutations (SU!)

Paper:  Garden Green, River Rock, watercolor (SU!)

Ink:  River Rock, Wild Wasabi, Garden Green (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Cuttlebug "Floral Screen" embossing folder, Big Shot, brayer, water mister, sponges, heart-to-heart punch, 2-step bird punch, Aqua Painter, 1/4" Garden Green grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" hole punch, sticky strips, glue dots, Tombow glue, and dimensionals

* * * * *

I made my background paper by lightly misting watercolor paper with water, wiping off excess (leaving paper damp) and placing it in the embossing folder that was inked on one side with River Rock ink (using the brayer to get it even).

I punched several small hearts from watercolor paper, misted with water and added Wild Wasabi re-inker with my Aqua Painter so that the ink "bled" into the paper.  Once dry, I sponged all the edges with more Wild Wasabi ink and used the Stampin' Write marker to add the details.

I punch the leaf sprig from the 2-step owl punch three times from River Rock cardstock.  I cut off all the leaves to make the "stem" as long as possible.  I also punched three 1/4" circles and glued them onto the tips of the stems (used as a base to glue on the hearts).  I glued three hearts onto each stem and let them dry.

I inked the sentiment in Garden Green ink and misted lightly with water before stamping onto watercolor paper.  I trimmed to size, sponged the edges with River Rock ink and then mounted on a River Rock frame (also with the edges sponged with more River Rock ink).

I wrapped two pieces of Garden Green grosgrain ribbon around the embossed panel and tied knots (offsetting them).  I used sticky strips to adhere the embossed panel to the card base of Garden Green cardstock. 

I added the shamrocks (adhering them with glue dots) and the sentiment (popped up with dimensionals) to the front of the card.

____________________

Today is the Technique Lover's Challenge (TLC361) - Inspired by Belleek Pottery.  Besides being inspired by the pottery itself, there is another part of the challenge, that is to make your background of your card look by porcelain by inking an embossing folder with a very subtle color and running it through with white cardstock.  Not sure what the name is for that particular technique ... but love the results I got using my new Cuttlebug "Textiles" embossing folder that I got for Christmas from my dear friend, Kelly.  It's hard to tell in the photo, but the background is a soft version of Crumb Cake and really makes the white raised embossing stand out.

  

I was inspired by the colors of the Belleek roses that were shown in the examples for the challenge, so I used my Spellbinder's Rose Creation die-cut and Razzleberry ink to make a purple rose.  I actually have two pieces of Belleek, given to me by my dear SIL, Moe ... I may have to make another card using them for inspiration.

"Irish Rose"



Stamps:  On the Grow (sentiment) (SU!)

Paper:  Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, watercolor paper (SU!)

Ink:  Crumb Cake, Rich Razzleberry, Certainly Celery (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Cuttlebug "Textiles" embossing folder, Big Shot, brayer, water mister, ornament punch, sponges, Spellbinder's Rose Creation Die-cut, Sizzix Little Leaves die-cut, small oval punch, medium oval punch, 1/4" Rich Razzleberry grosgrain ribbon, Scor-Pal, stylus, clear stickles, brad, sticky strips, glue dots, Tombow glue, and dimensionals

* * * * *

I used watercolor paper for the background.  Just had an idea that if I used damp watercolor paper, the ink color for the background would be very soft ... it worked.  I misted the watercolor paper with water, used a brayer to add ink to the front inside panel of my embossing paper, wiped the excess water off the paper (leaving it damp, not wet) and then ran it through with the folder in my Big Shot ...I just love the look!).

I took a second piece of watercolor paper and used my Scor-Pal to create a grid.  I punched out an ornament and trimmed off the bottom.  I added just a little drop of stickle at each intersection of the grid to give the vase bling.  I sponged the edges with Crumb Cake ink so that it would stand out from the background.  I used the leftover grid cardstock for the sentiment and also sponged the edges of the small oval with Crumb Cake ink.  I mounted it on a medium oval frame of Rich Razzleberry cardstock.

I sponged Whisper White cardstock with Razzleberry ink and then die-cut four of the smallest roses from the Rose Creation Nestabilities.  I sponged more Rich Razzleberry around each petal of the four roses ... for the one I used in the middle, I sponged the underside just in case some if it would show.  I used my stylus to curl the petals on each flower and then layered them together and secured them with a brad (doesn't show).  I gathered up the first layer and pinched it together to created the middle of the flower, using Tombow glue to secure.  I then moved the other petals around until I was happy with the look.

I cut out the Little Leaves from Certainly Celery cardstock and then sponged the edges with more Certainly Celery ink to give them dimension.

I assembled the card front, adding 1/4" grosgrain ribbon about 3/4" from the bottom of the edge and tying a knot off center.  I used the ribbon as if it were a ledge to hold my vase.  I added the vase, popping it up with dimensionals to add depth.  I attached the leaf sprig and rose using glue dots.

I mounted the card front onto the card base of Rich Razzleberry and also attached the sentiment with sticky strips.

Happy Birthday Flowers and With Love cards

OK, I may have gotten a little carried away with the CAS challenge this week (CAS154 - Color Challenge - celery, pink and white). :)

It's such a great color combination that I had to make two cards.  Well, actually I made three cards this week if you include the card I posted yesterday for the Free For All challenge (also celery, pink (Rose Red) and white).

The first card uses the paper piecing technique.  This is made with all SU! products.  Hope you like.

"Happy Birthday Flowers"

Stamps:  Slice of Life, Happy Moments (SU!)

Paper:  Certainly Celery, Whisper White, Certainly Celery DP (SU!)

Ink:  Stampin' Write Markers:  Early Espresso, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Sizzix polka-dot embossing folder, Big Shot, 1/8" Certainly Celery Taffeta ribbon, Stamp-a-ma-jig, sticky strips, glue, adhesives and dimensionals

* * * * *

I inked the vase of flowers with Stampin' Write markers and stamped onto Whisper White cardstock.  I stamped the vase again onto Certainly Celery DP and cut it out.  I colored in the flowers with Pretty in Pink and glued the polka-dot vase onto the stamped image.  I cut the main image to size and framed it with Certainly Celery cardstock.

I ran a card front of Whisper White cardstock through my Big Shot with the polka-dot embossing folder.  I used sticky strips to mount the Certainly Celery DP strip on the left-hand side.  I wrapped the taffeta ribbon around the card front and tied a knot just above center.  I secured the knot to the cardstock with the rolled up glue dot.  I mounted the card front onto a card base of Certainly Celery cardstock.

I mounted the framed main image onto the card front, popping it up with dimensionals to add depth.

____________________

The second card uses the paper tole technique (layering pieces of the image with rolled up glue dots in-between to give it dimension).  I added just a little green and pink flower soft to the center of the flower (hard to see in the photo) ... but otherwise this card is made with all SU! products.  Hope you like.

"With Love"

Stamps:  Fabulous Florets; Field Flowers (sentiment) (SU!)

Paper:  Whisper White, Certainly Celery (SU!)

Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  sponges, Stamp-a-ma-jig, green and pink flower soft, glue, glue dots, adhesives, and dimensionals

* * * * *

I stamped the leaf sprig in Certainly Celery ink (with the rose bud inked in Regal Rose) onto a large piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I stamped it again onto a scrap of Whisper White.  I cut out the five main leaves from the scrap piece and sponged around all edges with more Certainly Celery ink.  I added a rolled glue dot to the tip of each leaf, and a small dot of glue to the base of each leaf and layered the five leaves on top of my stamped image.  I did the same with the second rose bud, cutting it out, sponging the edges with Regal Rose ink and mounting with the rolled glue dot at the tip and a dot of glue at the base.

I sponged a piece of Whisper White cardstock with Pretty in Pink ink.  I stamped two of the flower images in Regal Rose on top of the sponging.  I cut out one flower as the base (one piece) and sponged around the outside edge with Regal Rose ink.  The second flower was cut out in individual petals.  I then sponged around all the edges of each petal and then mounted them on top of the base flower, again adding a rolled glue dot to the tip of each petal and a dot of glue to the base of each petal.  I added more glue to the center of the flower and placed pink and green flower soft on top.

I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to position my sentiment, which is stamped in Regal Rose ink.

I mounted the flower onto the sprig, popping it up with dimensionals to add more depth.

Sweetheart Cupcake

I've been a bit crazy with my Crystal Effects lately.  I've only had it for a month or so and can't believe how fabulous it is!!  I used it on today's card to cover the cake dish (it makes it look like it's a real china cake plate!!) and also added it to the two hearts that are the decoration on top of the cupcake.  For the icing (or frosting) on the cupcake, I used Martha Stewart's Sparkle Texture Effect, mixed with a couple of drops of Pretty in Pink re-inker - voila, pretty pink frosting!

This card is for Friday's "Free For All" challenge at SCS (F4A100 - Have a heart or two (include as least two hearts).  This card uses the paper piecing technique.  Hope you like.

"Sweetheart Cupcake"

Stamps:  Easy Events, Happy Moments (SU!)

Paper:  Rose Red, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Certainly Celery DP (SU!)

Ink:  Stampin' Write markers:  Early Espresso, Certainly Celery, Rose Red, Sahara Sand; Pretty in Pink re-inker (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Martha Stewart Sparkle Texture Effect, mini pink half-pearls, Crystal Effects, 2-step Owl punch (for the hearts)

* * * * * 

I inked the image in Early Espresso ink (except for the frosting which was inked in Sahara Sand so that the dark brown ink didn't bleed through the "frosting"), and stamped onto a large piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement and stamped the sentiment in Rose Red ink.

I stamped the cupcake paper in Certainly Celery ink onto Certainly Celery polka-dot DP and cut it out.  I stamped the dish in Early Espresso ink onto Rose Red cardstock and cut it out (minus the rim of dots).  I punched out two hearts from the 2-step Owl punch, one in Rose Red cardstock and one in Pretty in Pink cardstock.

I covered the cake plate and the two hearts with Crystal Effects and left them to dry for about an hour.

I glued the polka-dot cupcake paper and the cake plate onto the main image.  I mixed the Sparkle Texture Effect with two drops of Pretty in Pink re-inker and then added it to the top of the cupcake.  I pressed the two small hearts into the frosting and then left the image to dry for an hour or so.

I added mini pink half-pearls along the bottom of the cake plate and then mounted the card front onto a card base of Rose Red cardstock.

Tiger Lily

Today's card combines two challenges from this week at Splitcoast Stampers --- Sketch Challenge (SC368) and Ways To Use It (WT358 - Sew Beautiful).  I rarely sew on my cards ... I don't have the best luck with sewing machines.  And after an hour of trying to get my machine to work ... I gave up and did the sewing by hand.  The good thing about it was that I was able to use embroidery thread, which made for very bold stitches.  Hope you like.

SCS Sketch 368:



Here's my take on the sketch:

"Tiger Lily"

Stamps:  Fifth Avenue Floral; Trendy Trees (SU!)

Paper:  Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Soft Suede DP, Old Olive, watercolor paper (SU!)

Ink:  Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Old Olive; Re-inkers: Pumpkin Pie, Cajun Craze; Stampin' Write marker:  Cajun Craze (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Clear embossing powder, heat tool, Sizzix Little Leaves die-cut, Big Shot, water mister, paper piercing tool, brown embroidery thread, Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponges, adhesives, sticky strips, glue dots and dimensionals

* * * * *

I started with watercolour the flower with diluted re-inkers.  I stamped the flower in Early Espresso ink onto watercolor paper and embossed with clear.  I cut the flower out.  I misted the flower with water and then used Pumpkin Pie and Cajun Craze re-inkers on the wet watercolor paper.  Once dry, I used my Cajun Craze Stampin' Write marker to color in the stamens and add dots to the petals.

I ran Old Olive cardstock through my Big Shot with the Little Leaves die-cut and then sponged the edges of the leaves with Old Olive ink.

I cut a card front from Crumb Cake cardstock and randomly sponged Soft Suede ink over top to give it an aged look.  I added more sponging along the edges of the card front.  I also sponged the edges of the polka-dot Soft Suede DP and then adhered it to the card front.  I pierced holes along both long sides of the polka-dot DP, offsetting the rows and then stitched a zig-zag stitch along the top and bottom.

I cut two narrow pieces from striped Soft Suede DP.  I pierced holes and then sewed more embroidery thread through.

I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to position my sentiment and then stamped it in Soft Suede ink (very subtle).  I mounted the two narrow pieces onto the card front with dimensionals to give them depth.

I used glue dots to attach the leaf sprig and tiger lily.  I mounted the card front onto a card base of Soft Suede cardstock.



Be Mine, Valentine

I seem to be a day behind ... don't know how that happened.  Anyways, I made a card for the color challenge (CC358) from yesterday - pretty in pink, pink pirouette, rose red, with a neutral of choice and the dessert is valentine's day.  I used every part of the challenge and also made the card from all SU! products, plus a little twine from the twinery.  Hope you like.

"Be Mine, Valentine"

Stamps:  Valentine Defined, Outlined Occasions (sentiment) (SU!)

Paper:  Rose Red, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Pink Pirouette, Early Espresso (SU!)

Ink:  Rose Red; Stampin' Write markers:  Rose Red, Pretty in Pink (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  2-Step Owl punch, Heart to Heart punch, Pink Sorbet twine (the twinery), Crystal Effects, sponge, corner rounder, Tombow glue, glue dot, adhesives and dimensionals

* * * * *

I stamped the heart stems in Rose Red ink onto Pretty in Pink cardstock.  I punched out the owl's vest.

I punched out the rest of the owl from Early Espresso and Whisper White cardstock, including an extra owl body.  From the extra owl body, I cut out one of the feet to use as a hand to hold the balloons.  I used Tombow glue to attached all the layers on the owl.

I punched the different sized hearts from Rose Red, Pretty in Pink and Pink Pirouette cardstocks.  On the largest and smallest Rose Red hearts, I sponged Rose Red ink around the edges to give the hearts more depth (hard to see in the photo).  Using the Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write marker, I added dots to the Pink Pirouette middle-sized heart.  To the large Pretty in Pink heart, I used the Rose Red Stampin' Write marker to draw cross-hatching and also sponged Rose Red ink around the outside of the heart to add more depth.  I covered all the hearts with Crystal Effects to give them a 3-D effect and shine.  I let the hearts dry for an hour or so.

I cut pieces of twine and attached one to the back of each heart balloon.  I dry fit the owl with the balloons on my Whisper White card front.  Once I was happy with the placement of the hearts, I carefully gathering the balloons strings and tied them in a half-knot and then trimmed them to length.

I stamped the sentiment from the Outline Occasions stamp set in Rose Red ink onto the card front.  I mounted the owl onto the card front and also secured the balloons by placing a rolled glue dot under the knot and dimensionals on the back of each heart.

I mounted the card front onto a Rose Red card base and rounded the bottom corners of the card.

Thank You Tulips

No snow last night (weatherman was wrong, again) ... but we definitely have "snow sky" ... you know what I mean, the sky is solid gray and it looks like it could snow at any minute.  The weatherman is predicting a huge snowfall sometime tonight / tomorrow morning.  We'll see if they are right this time.  For now, there is still snow on the ground and it's quite cold, so it will be sticking around.  I'd rather stay home when the weather is like this and not chance being out on the icy roads.  That means more time in the art studio and you've probably noticed that I have been making a LOT of cards.

Late yesterday I worked on a Thank You card for the SCS January Fan Club Challenge ... this month's theme is "Mind Your Manners" ... make Thank You cards.  I had fun making the card and tried to get away from my CAS focus this time.  I used Stampin' Write markers to color in the bunch of tulips (stamp from Rubber-Art Stamps), and used yellow gingham, some twine and a button to make a "country-themed" card.  Hope you like.

"Thank You Tulips"

Stamps: Tulips (Rubber-Art Stamps); Silhouette Sentiments (SU!)

Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Tangerine Tango, Whisper White (SU!); yellow gingham (unknown)

Ink:  Early Espresso; Stampin' Write markers: Pumpkin Pie, Tangerine Tango, Old Olive, Always Artichoke (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Clear embossing powder, heat tool, Spellbinders Ovals, Big Shot, sponge, scalloped edge punch, Mandarin twine (the Twinery), wooden button, sticky strips and adhesives

* * * * *

I stamped the tulip image in Early Espresso ink onto Whisper White cardstock and heat embossed in clear.  I used my Stampin' Write markers to color in the image and then lightly sponged Daffodil Delight in the background (in hindsight, I could have sponged first).

I layered the front of the Daffodil Delight card base with yellow gingham DP and ran it through my Big Shot, using the largest oval die-cut.  I ran another large piece of Daffodil Delight through the Big Shot with the second largest oval die-cut and that became the frame for in front of my tulips.

I mounted all the pieces as shown in the picture above, adding twine and a button around the bottom border pieces.

I struggled with the sentiment ... I didn't want it to take focus away from the tulips, so in the end I stamped a very small "Thank You" in Tangerine Tango ink right onto the yellow gingham DP.

Be Mine and Stitched with Love cards

Today's TLC (Technique Lover's Challenge) 360 is - Twine it up!  Of course, I love twine, so I had to make a card for the challenge - well, two actually! :)

Here are two CAS Valentine's Day cards using twine to stitch the hearts.  Both are made the same way, just changing up the colors and adding an extra layer to the Cherry Cobbler version.  Hope you like.

"Be Mine"

"Stitched with Love"

Stamps:  I {Heart} Hearts, Outlined Occasions (I {Heart} Hearts, Field Flowers) (SU!)

Paper:  Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White (Melon Mambo, Whisper White) (SU!)

Ink:  Cherry Cobbler (Melon Mambo) (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Maraschino (Pink Sorbet) Twine - The Twinery, paper piercing tool, embroidery needle, pencil, temporary adhesive, sticky strips

* * * * * 

I stamped the "woodgrain" heart from the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set onto a scrap piece of paper (I liked the shape of the heart).  Using a pencil, I marked where I wanted to pierce around the outline of the heart, making sure there was a corresponding pierce at both the top and bottom of the heart.  Using temporary adhesive, I attached the stamped heart overtop of my card front.  I used the paper piercing tool to pierce through both pieces of cardstock and once I had pierced all around the outline of the heart, I removed the scrap piece from on top and discarded.

I used an embroidery needle and twine to stitch through the piercing, creating a grid by stitching first vertically and then horizontally.  Finally I stitched along the outline of the heart.

I added the sentiment and mounted all the pieces as shown in the pictures above.

Inspired Silhouette and Silhouette Spray cards

Another snowfall overnight leaves us with about 1" of fresh snow this morning. Not much, just enough to cover and make everything look fresh and bright. I love how the snow looks on all the trees in our backyard - it's like a winter wonderland.

I have made two cards for this week's CAS Challenge (CAS153) - Sketch by Loll Thompson (that's me!). I'm having so much fun being on the Design Team and coming up with cards that I hope will inspire others to join in the challenge ... that I can't seem to limit myself to making just one sample card. As it is, I have to control myself to just make two :)

For this sketch challenge, I made the original card back on Nov. 1, 2011. I used my Nestabilities Rectangles to cut out three different sized rectangles and then used the cut-outs to create overlapping color blocks by reverse masking. Tip: sponge the lightest ink color block first and end with the darkest color ink block. I finished the card by adding a simple silhouette on top of the color blocks. Very quick and easy card

I used the same technique (reverse masking) to create color blocks for today's first sample. The second sample card is completely different with the color blocks paper-pieced and the silhouette embossed overtop. Hope you like.

Here's my original sketch:

Here's the first sample card for the CAS153 Challenge: (second sample is below instructions).

"Inspired Silhouette"

Stamps: Inspired by Nature, En Francais (SU!)
Paper: Early Espresso, Whisper White (SU!)
Ink: Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Early Espresso (SU!)
Accessories & Tools: Spellbinders Nestabilities Rectangles, Big Shot, sponges, Stamp-a-ma-jig, and adhesives

* * * * *

I cut out the three rectangles from acetate so that I could place them and be able to see exactly how they overlapped, etc. (scrap cardstock will work too ... just a little more measuring to make sure the rectangles are parallel).

On a Whisper White card front, I used the largest rectangle mask first and sponged Crumb Cake in the middle of the cardstock, but off to the left side. Leaving the mask in place, I inked the En Francais stamp with Soft Suede ink and stamped on top of the Crumb Cake sponging. I wanted the script to be the second focal point (behind the silhouette) so needed to do that square first.

I then masked and sponged the other two squares, one at the top with Sahara Sand ink and the one at the bottom with Soft Suede ink.

I used my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement and stamped the smallest coneflower from the Inspired by Nature stamp in Early Espresso ink.

I mounted the stamped card front onto a card base of Early Espresso cardstock. Quick and easy card.

____________________

"Silhouette Spray"

Stamp: Silhouette Spray (Hero Arts)
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Cottage Wall DP (retired); Rich Razzleberry DP (retired) (SU!)
Ink: Versamark
Accessories & Tools: White embossing powder, heat tool, and adhesives

* * * * *

I cut three different sizes of squares from Cottage Wall DP and Rich Razzleberry DP (polka-dot). I mounted them onto a card front of Whisper White cardstock. I inked my stamp with Versamark, stamped onto the DP and embossed with white embossing powder. I mounted the card front onto a card base of Rich Razzleberry cardstock. Super easy and fun card that only took about 10 minutes to make!

New Technique - Frosted Window

Today the crafty girls were scheduled to come over for a day of twine card-making ... but we had our first big snowfall of the year and the roads weren't in the best shape this morning so we decided to cancel. That left me with a "free" day so hubby and I headed out to our son's place to see a new kitchen island that he just installed - it's awesome!

After a few other errands, we headed home and I looked at the latest tutorial on SCS - Frosted Window. I love this technique and wanted to give it a try. I read the tutorial by Holly and also watched the video tutorial (click here to see the tutorial). I loved both sample cards from the tutorials, but was really intrigued by Beate's embellishment of a scalloped ring to accent the main image. She had added rhinestones to the ring to give it a lot of bling and I really liked the look, so used the same idea on my card. This is a 5 1/2" square card. Hope you like.

"Frosted Daisies"

Stamps: Daisy Thanks (Stampendous)
Paper: Basic Black, So Saffron, Whisper White (SU!); vellum
Ink: Pink Piroutte, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Basic Black (SU!)
Accessories & Tools: Sizzix large scalloped circle die-cut, Spellbinders Nestabilities Circles, Big Shot, large half-pearls, adhesives and dimensionals

* * * * *

I stamped the image onto Whisper White cardstock and also onto vellum. I colored in the image on the Whisper White cardstock with the darker shades of Stampin' Write markers (Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Old Olive, So Saffron, Daffodil Delight). I colored the back of the vellum in lighter shades (Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery, So Saffron).

I mounted the vellum on top of the cardstock image, popping it up with dimensionals to add depth between the two images, but making sure to carefully line them up. I mounted the image onto a piece of So Saffron cardstock. With a second piece of So Saffron, I used my Big Shot and Nestabilities circle to cut a circle in the middle. I mounted the top cardstock with the circle cut-out overtop of the image, again popping it up with dimensionals to add more depth.

I cut a large scallop circle from Basic Black cardstock. I ran the scallop circle through my Big Shot again, cutting out the middle with a smaller circle die-cut (same size as the circle cut from the So Saffron cardstock. I now had a scalloped ring of black. I placed large half-pearls in each scallop and then glued the ring onto the front of my card.

I mounted the whole main image onto a card base of Basic Black.

* * * * *

On another subject, I'm going to include a couple of pictures from Christmas.  This is my grand-doggie, Penny (with Jer) ... it's her first Christmas with the family.  She is so adorable and funny.  I couldn't get over how she crossed her back legs when Jer was holding her ... take a look.

Isn't she precious??!!

In the Studio with Kelly

My good friend, Kelly, came by to spend some time with me in the art studio today. Her plan was to make Valentine's cards for her husband and two boys; as well she needed to make a birthday card for her niece. Kelly also wanted to try out some new "toys" she got for Christmas (Spellbinders, Sizzix die-cut and Cuttlebug embossing folders). We had fun playing with all her new toys and she managed to get the birthday card and one of the Valentine's cards done before she had to head off. Kelly also brought Har Gow for lunch for us (steamed shrimp dumplings that is usually served at Dim Sum) ... they were sooooo delicious!! Thank you Kelly!

On to the card for today. I tried out one of Kelly's new embossing folders and used it for the card below. I love how this turned out. I was inspired by this beautiful card by Susie Nelson on SCS. Thanks Susie for the inspiration ... I just love the neutral tones of this card. Hope you like.

"Victorian Butterfly"

Stamps: En Francais (SU!)
Paper: Soft Suede, Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Elegant Soiree DP (SU!)
Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede (SU!)
Accessories & Tools: Sizzix Bigz Beautiful Butterflies die-cut, Cuttlebug "Victorian" embossing folder, Big Shot, Kaiser Pearl Brads (Chocolate), Soft Suede Taffeta ribbon, hole punch, sponges, bone folder, sticky strips, glue dots and dimensionals

* * * * *

I ran a large piece of Whisper White cardstock through my Big Shot with the Victorian embossing folder. I sponged Crumb Cake ink on top of the embossing to highlight it further.

I inked the En Francais stamp with Soft Suede ink and stamped onto Crumb Cake cardstock. I ran the stamped cardstock through my Big Shot, cutting out the smaller of the butterflies. I ran the die-cut through again, cutting the larger butterfly out of Elegant Soiree DP. I lined the two butterflies on top of each other and punched a hole through the middle. I sponged the edges of both butterflies with Soft Suede ink and then used my bone folder to curl down the wings of the butterflies. I used two glue dots to secure the butterflies together (just above and below the hole punch) and then placed the Chocolate pearl brad through the hole.

I wrapped the Soft Suede Taffeta ribbon around the end of my embossed cardstock and tied a knot just above center. I used sticky strips to mount the embossed cardstock onto a card base of Soft Suede (which had the edges sponged with Soft Suede ink to add interest).

I mounted the butterfly onto the front of the card, popping it up with dimensionals to add depth.

Sending You Love

Today I met my friend Liz and we headed out to a fabric and yarn store in Surrey called Wineberry.  Liz has been making these beautiful scarves that uses a special yarn that she could only find at this store.  I was so impressed by the beautiful scarves that Liz has made ... as well as the many, many samples in the store itself, that I bought a ball of yarn and am going to try making one myself.  I am a knitter, but haven't done much of it in the past year or so.  We bought yarn and then went to a Greek restaurant nearby for lunch (New York, New York) - delicious!!  Once back home, I headed to the art studio.  For today's card, I am combining two challenges from SCS this week ... the color challenge (CC357) - Blushing Bride, Riding Hood Red and Baja Breeze ... plus the sketch challenge this week (SC367).  The only change is that I don't have Blushing Bride so I used the closest color I had, Pink Pirouette.  Hope you like.

SCS Sketch Challenge 367:

Here's my take on the above sketch (I added a couple of extra layers):

"Sending You Love"

Stamps:  Valentine Defined, Easy Events (SU!)

Paper:  Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Pink Pirouette DP, red glimmer paper (SU!)

Ink:  Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze

Accessories & Tools:  Sizzix heart buttons, Big Shot, Baja Breeze seam binding, adhesives, glue dots and dimensionals

* * * * *

I inked the sentiment from one of the Easy Events stamps using a Baja Breeze Stampin' Write marker and stamped onto the small piece of Whisper White cardstock.  I stamped the heart flowers three times across the same piece, just below the sentiment.  I mounted the image onto a thin frame of Riding Hood Red cardstock.

I cut the second panel from Pink Pirouette DP and framed it with a thin frame of Riding Hood Red cardstock.

I ran the red glimmer paper through my Big Shot with the heart button die-cut.  I cut a piece of Baja Breeze seam binding in half (lengthwise - to make it thin), and threaded them through the holes in the heart buttons, tying a half-knot at the front.

I mounted all the pieces as shown in the picture above, popping up the main panel with dimensionals to add depth.  The heart buttons were attached using glue dots.

Japanese Screen

Last night we had our friends Lance, Lili and Natasha over for dinner.  It was so great to spend an evening with them!  This afternoon we're heading to a family dinner with my nieces and nephews (and my kids, mom and SIL).  Kevin and Sarah will be hosting the dinner at their house ... and Adrienne and David will be the cooks for today.  I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone!

But before I go, I needed to get this write up done for today's card for Monday's CAS Challenge (CAS152) - Die-cuts!  I made an Asian-themed card, creating a flower arrangement and a screen.  I cut a rectangle "window" on the front panel of the card and lined it with vellum so it has a slightly transparent appearance (the picture doesn't show that ... much better in real life).  I used three die-cut squares to create a "screen" that I placed on top of the vellum.  And I randomly sponged a darker brown over the entire front of the card to give it an aged look.  Hope you like.

"Japanese Screen"

Stamps:  Silhouette Sentiments (SU!)

Paper:  Crumb Cake (Kraft), Basic Black (SU!); vellum, red swirl DP (unknown)

Ink:  Real Red, Old Olive, Soft Suede (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Cuttlebug Corners Die (squares), Big Shot, ornament punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, sponge, mini half-pearls, Tombow glue, adhesives and dimensionals

* * * * *

I made the card base from Crumb Cake and cut a window 4" x 1 1/4".  I randomly sponged Soft Suede ink all over the card front to create an aged look.  I used sticky strips to attach a slightly larger piece of vellum behind the cut-out.

  

I ran the Cuttlebug die-cut through my Big Shot three times with Basic Black cardstock to create the three squares.  I mounted the squares to the front of the card overtop the vellum, using Tombow glue to secure.

Using my Stamp-a-ma-jig for placement, I stamped the flowers using Red Red and Old Olive Stampin' Write markers.  I went over the stamping again (free-hand) with the Stampin' Write markers to make the image darker and I also enlarged the flowers.  I place mini half-pearls in the center of each flower.

I punched the ornament from Basic Black cardstock and trimmed the bottom slightly and then cut the whole piece so it was only 1/2" deep, creating a dish for my flower arrangement.  I cut a thin (1/16") strip of red swirl DP and mounted it on top of the dish to create interest.

I mounted the dish on top on the card front so that the bottom lined up with bottom of the screen, popping it up with dimensionals to add depth.

____________________

A second card for CAS Challenge - Die-cuts (CAS152).  This time I made a baby card using my new purchase of the Top Note die ... I've been wanting it for a long time!  Another card for my upcoming twine workshop with my crafty girls next weekend.  Hope you like!

"It's a boy"

Stamps:  Baby (Heidi Grace)

Paper:  Daffodil Delight, Whisper White (SU!); stars and swirls DP (unknown)

Ink:  Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Top Note die-cut, Big Shot, Lemon Drop and Caribbean Twine (the Twinery), More Mustard button, adhesives and dimensionals

* * * * *

I ran a large piece of Whisper White cardstock through my Big Shot with the Top Note die-cut.  I used a Basic Black Stampin' Write marker to go over the stitched line of the die-cut.  I stamped the main image and sentiment in Basic Black ink and then colored in the birds beak with Daffodil Delight and the baby bundle with Tempting Turquoise.

I wrapped Lemon Drop Twine and Caribbean Twine around the Top Note and tied a bow.  I added a small More Mustard button on top of the bow.

I mounted a large piece of the stars and swirls DP onto a Daffodil Delight card base.  I mounted the main panel on top, popping it up with dimensionals to add depth.

Happy Birthday Rose

My house has now been "un-decorated" for Christmas.  Whew!!  It was a lot of work yesterday ... so I'm going to take it easy today and recoup.  The busy time of the holidays is now over and I can spend more time playing in my art studio.  Today I made a card for two SCS challenges from this week:

Ways to Use it (WT356) - Make a birthday card for Michele (tygerpaws11)

and

Free For All (F4A98) - Potpourri - make a card with:  3-D flower, gem or pearl, embossing folder, die-cut/punch and designer paper

I managed to fit them all onto the card below!!  Hope you like.

"Happy Birthday Rose"

Stamps:  Sincere Salutations (SU!)

Paper:  Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede DP, Old Olive (SU!); unknown patterned red swirl paper

Ink:  Soft Suede, Old Olive, Ruby Red (SU!)

Accessories & Tools:  Cuttlebug "Mesh" embossing folder, Sizzix "Little Leaves" die-cut, Spellbinders Rose die-cut, Top Note die-cut, Big Shot, half pearl, bone folder, sponge, adhesives, glue dots and dimensionals

* * * * *

I sponged randomly and along all edges of a large piece of Crumb Cake cardstock with Soft Suede ink.  I ran the sponged cardstock through my Big Shot with the Mesh embossing folder.  I also ran a piece of patterned Red Swirl DP through my Big Shot with the same Mesh embossing folder.  I used the Spellbinders Rose die-cut to cut out the pieces for the rose from the embossed DP.  I used a bone folder to curl back the edges of all the petals of the rose and layered it together with glue dots.  I used two of each of the three middle sized die-cuts for this rose.  I placed a half-pearl in the middle.  Thanks to Cook22 at SCS for her instructions on how she made her rose - I loved the look and cased her instructions!

I ran the Soft Suede DP through my Big Shot with the Top Note die-cut and then trimmed along the dotted lines to make a smaller version.  I sponged the edges with Soft Suede ink.  I ran the same die-cut through again with a piece of Soft Suede cardstock and sponged the edges with Soft Suede ink.

I ran the Little Leaves die-cut through my Big Shot (twice) with Old Olive cardstock.  I sponged the edges of the leaves and stems with Old Olive ink.

I stamped the sentiment in Ruby Red ink onto Crumb Cake cardstock, cut it to size and sponged the edges with Soft Suede ink.  I mounted the sentiment on a frame of Soft Suede cardstock (also with the edges sponged).

I mounted all the pieces as shown in the picture above, onto a card base of Soft Suede (with the edges sponged).  I popped up the Top Note and sentiment for more dimension.