Happy Birthday and You are Simply Amazing

Hello and happy Sunday.  I am writing my first real time, not scheduled blog post in weeks.  I got crafty today, and it felt pretty good.

First up is a card inspired by Darnell's NBUS challenge #7.  I picked a stamp set that has been with me for almost 2 years, I think, without ever seeing any ink.  Shame on me, right?

I used colors from Color Throwdown #408 and also Inkspirational #116, who ask for primary colors. I am also playing along at Seize the Birthday without toppings.

I also made a card using this week's Make it Monday #259: Ombre Cluster Stamping.  I used Tropical Teal, Hawaiian Shores and Aqua Mist inks and butterfly stamps from PTI Beautiful Butterflies.  The sentiment is from Verve.

AAA Challenge #72 ask us to try a 'new to you technique', which is the MIM technique.  I am also entering this card at Addicted to Stamps and More #209 CAS and Simon Says Wednesday Anything Goes.

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ColourQ #341....Happy Anniversary

If you are looking for my CASology post, please click here.

Happy Tuesday and welcome to a new challenge at ColourQ.

Check out these new colors this week.  I love them.  I decided to use some of my WPlus9 inks--Flamingo, Miami Spice and Sweet Gelato.  I also used PTI Kraft.

I stamped butterflies from PTI Beautiful Butterflies and Beautiful Butterflies Layers.  I did tone on tone stamping, and the layers are a little hard to see, but trust me, they are there.

I am also entering this card at Just Us Girls #342 where the challenge word is 'BUTTERFLY' and Simon Says Monday Challenge:  Embossing.

Please head on over to the ColourQ challenge blog to see more inspiration from the design team. I hope you will join in the fun and play along this week.

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CASology Week 147: Wedding

Happy Tuesday.  It's time for another cue word at CASology.  This week, our cue word is WEDDING.  What a fitting word for this time of year.  In fact, 19 years ago today, I got married. Happy Anniversary to me (and DH, but he is traveling for business, so our celebration will have to wait until a more convenient time)

I used a very intricate die cut, so did not want to do much more to this card so I could keep it CAS.  I added a sentiment, embossed in gold, and then used a versamark pen to add bits of versamark to some of the leaves, so it would look like some of the leaves were dipped in gold.

So, what do you think?  Will you play along this week and make something inspired by the word WEDDING?  Please remember to keep your card Clean and Simple.

Head on over to the CASology blog and gather some inspiration from the design team.

Ardyth Percy-Robb

Gillian Ross  

Hazel Hodgkins

Jen Wills

Joyce Mehrberg (that's me)

Judy Marino

Kimberly Wiener

Kymona Tracey

May Park

Melissa Chipperfield

Tracey McNeely 

Guest Designer: Carol


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Retro Sketches and a ColourQ Card Set

Happy Sunday.  I hope everyone is having a nice weekend.  Things are pretty sunny and quiet here, as college testing and research project dates loom.

I have a card for this week's Retro Sketches rs#108 challenge--and I am using a brand new to me Hero Arts baby set called New Baby.

I chose a gender-neutral color scheme of Aqua Mist, Hawaiian Shores and SU Baked Brown Sugar.  I paper pieced one of my favorite images from this set--the little elephant, and started with Happy Spots paper.  The colors look off in this photo, but the elephant is actually Aqua Mist, Dark Chocolate, and White.  I made my own plaid paper for the bottom layer using WMS Offbeat Backgrounds.  The heart on the elephant's ear is Hawaiian Shores coated with lots of Glossy Accents.

I guess you could say that I really loved this week's ColourQ cQc #234 colors, since I am back again with an entire card set made with those colors.  I used one of the masking techniques taught by Kara in the most recent on line card class.


I was able to create one mask and use it three ways to make three cards.  I did this twice--once with butterflies, and once with mini flowers.

The following three cards use the smallest butterflies from Beautiful Butterflies.  First, I used the negative piece and stamped around the inside border.

Then, I used the die cut butterfly as a mask, and stamped around the outer edge.

Last, I used the negative mask again, and stamped in the entire space.  I started out by stamping around the outer edge, because it is important that the entire outer border is stamped--that is what will give your stamped shape its definition.  Then, I just randomly filled in the center.

Here are the three butterfly cards together.  I also made lined envelopes for the set.  Thanks to this post by Joan, I was inspired to use Distressed Stripes to make matching envelope liners.  I don't know why I never thought of it before, but I love the idea of stripes in matching colors, rather than trying to replicate the pattern on the card.  I embossed all three cards first with the largest Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle die and then with the Burlap Impression Plate. Impossible to see in the photos, but all the butterflies are coated with Wink of Stella.  

Edited to add:  I am also linking up to a new challenge:  Time Out Challenge #2 where my butterflies fit in with this gorgeous inspiration picture.  (Thanks, Lynn).

Same concept as above for the other three cards in the set, but this grouping uses some of the smaller flower images from Embellished Elegance.

All three of these cards were also embossed with the largest Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle die and then with the Woodgrain Impression Plate, then coated with Wink of Stella. The sentiments are from a variety of sets.  

I knew which types of sentiments I wanted to include in this set, and just flipped through my sentiment binder looking for versions that would fit in the space and that I thought would look good.  Occasions like this make me really appreciate the time I have invested in my Sentiment Binder.

I used kraft packaging paper, some twine and a die cut butterfly (dolled up with Wink of Stella and Stickles) to create a very simple packaging.

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My Crafty Week--So Far

Hello there and happy Thursday.  I've been sneaking in bits of crafting time all week, and I thought I'd better get my stuff posted and linked before the challenges end. 

First up is a card for this week's Paper Smooches Anything Goes challenge.  I used Bitty Bungalows stamps and dies, Bitty Dot paper, a sentiment from Love Lives Here and a stitched landscape die from Mama Elephant.  This card will be going to a good friend who is moving into a new house tomorrow.

Next up is a card for this week's CAS-UAL Fridays CFC129 challenge to use 2 shades of grey.  I went back to an older card of Pamela's that I have cased before.  My greys are PTI Smokey Shadow and SU Basic Grey.  50 is cut out of Tropical Turquoise, PTI's newest gorgeous color.   My sister and her husband are both turning 50 this spring, so one of them will get this card.  I used some MME dots I've had for ages, so I am also linking this card at Simply Create Too #56, where the challenge is to shop in your stash.

My next card is for this week's Make it Monday #154, which is all about one layer cards.  I layered stamps from Beautiful Butterflies in Orange Zest (my gallon), Limeade Ice and Hibiscus Burst (my quarts) and Orange Zest (my pint).  All that was stamped over Background Basics Newsprint stamped in Soft Stone.  Except for my background stamp, the rest of the card is all from Beautiful Butterflies.

One more card for Make it Monday #154 and the Hero Arts Birthday Challenge in the FLORAL category.   I stamped a sentiment from Hero Arts It's Your Day and then masked it with a post it.  I stamped various flowers and leaves from PTI Doodlie Do using black ink.  Then, turned each of the Doodlie Do stamps upside down to stamp over the black image with color.  I am loving this technique lately.  I used Winter Wisteria, Limeade Ice, Ocean tides, and Pure Poppy.

Next up are three cards using different water coloring techniques.   I am entering all three into this week's One-Layer Simplicity Challenge #3 to just add water and Virginia's View Challenge #1 to use water coloring.

I used a rainbow palette of distress inks to stamp watery polka dots on top of my card, after stamping the card front with Hero Arts Life of Party background stamp in Versafine Onyx Black.  I used Distress inks for my rainbow polka dots:  Fired Brick, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, Peeled Paint, Chipped Sapphire and Dusty Concord.  My polka dot stamps were created by flipping over 2 stamps from HA Birthday Messages and Konnichiwa Lantern.  After inking up, I spritzed the stamp with water.  I will be entering this card at the Hero Arts Birthday Challenge in the Rainbow of Color category.

For this card, I used regular water color paints that come in a paint box to color the flowers from HA Delicate Blossoms.  I'm pretty sure they are from Michaels.  They looked a little dull when dried, so I coated all the flowers with Wink of Stella.  I am also entering this card at the Hero Arts Birthday Challenge in the Floral category.

 

Last but not least is a card using a brand new daffodil stamp I just got from Serendipity.  It really reminds me of spring.  I colored this stamp using a water brush and Inktense Pencils.  This is actually my favorite way to water color.  The Inktense pencils have such vibrant colors, and you can use them in so many different ways to water color.  For this card, I used my waterbrush to wet the tip of the pencil to grab color.  Inktense pencils let you layer colors.  Rather than blending, each layer sits atop of the previous layer.  I'm not anywhere near mastering this technique, but I do think it adds a little something to the effect.  I am also entering this card in the Serendipity SSCB#29 challenge:  stitches.  My stitches are faux (the only stitches I really know how to make), using the Lil Inkers Stitched Rectangle die. 

I will leave you to imagine the state of my desk.  I have a big clean up to do starting right now.

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