Sending Prayers & Love

Online Card Classes has been doing their "Background Check" class this week. The class is "broken down" into two 3-day segments. On Days 1 & 2 of each segment, the instructors demonstrate different techniques that can be used for creating backgrounds. On the third day, they take those technique pieces and turn them into cards. It's a bit of a different format than usual for them, but I think it works pretty well.

On Day 2, Jennifer McGuire demonstrated doing different resist techniques. I used resist with clear embossing over a patterned paper for my card.

I didn't have an "appropriate" background stamp that covered a whole card panel, so I used one of the stamps from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' "Borders & Backgrounds" set. I chose a patterned paper from Authentique's "Latest & Greatest" 6x6" pad, and cut it to 4x5.25". I stamped my background image repeatedly over that with Versamark ink, then clear heat embossed it. Finally, I used Hero Arts' Navy ink to go over the whole panel, wiping the excess off the embossed areas.

I die cut the "Sending" from Simon Says Stamp out of a scrap of navy cardstock. I used that to determine where to die cut an opening in my background. I used one of the "Classic Ovals LG" dies by Spellbinders to do that, letting the die overlap the edge of the panel.

After marking where my oval cutout would be on the front of a white A2 card base, I adhered the "sending" word, then stamped the "prayers & love" from Simon Says Stamp's "Sending Happy Thoughts" under that with Versafine Onyx Black ink. I adhered my background piece to the card base, and that finished this card. It will be going to a friend whose mother recently passed away.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Anything Goes"
Live Love Cards' June challenge: "Masking"

Starry HB2U!

I've been enjoying "Background Check"--Online Card Classes' latest offering--this week. Day 1 of class was devoted to "Inking Techniques for Backgrounds." Jennifer McGuire had a demonstration, using cardstock inked with Distress ink, a stencil, and a baby wipe. I based the background of this card on that technique.

Because this card is for my brother, who loves blue, I used Chipped Sapphire, Salty Ocean, & Evergreen Bough Distress inks. I also used the "Stars" layering stencil by Tim Holtz for my background. As Jennifer had demonstrated, I did try dry embossing with the stencil and my Grand Calibur machine when I had finished with the baby wipe, but it didn't really emboss. I don't know if I'd used too thin a cardstock or what. I may try again with a thicker cardstock.

After I finished the background, I die cut a star out of it, using one of the "Nesting Stars" by Lifestyle Crafts. I temporarily adhered the background panel to the front of a 4.5x7.25" card base, and lined up the die with the cutout in the panel. I ran it through my Grand Calibur again, to cut a window in the card front.

For the greeting, I put the card base in my MISTI, and used a grid sheet overlay to line up the stamp (from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' "Birthday Bash" set). Then I stamped it on the inside of the card with Hero Arts Navy ink, through the star window. I was glad I used my MISTI, because it took me a few stampings to get good ink coverage. With the MISTI, I had absolutely no trouble lining up the stamp again! All that was left was to adhere my technique piece to the front of the card base, and that finished up this card.

I am entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Anything Goes" challenge.

Miss Shoe

The current Essentials by Ellen Pin-sights Challenge has this photo for inspiration:

I decided to create a punny missing you card for Operation Write Home, inspired by the red, white, & blue colors. I also used Sketch #167 by OWH for my design.

I began by creating my background. I used 2 of the stamps in "Bokeh Dots" to stamp circles in Versamark on dark blue cardstock. I did the larger ones first, then heat embossed with Ranger Super Fine Detail White embossing powder. I let that cool for a minute, then did the same with the smaller circle, heat embossing with Zing Rouge embossing powder.

For the focal piece, I first die cut a circle using a Spellbinders "Standard Circles LG" die. I used the men's shoes from the "Twelve Days" stamp set, also from the Essentials by Ellen line, for the image. I did a little stamp surgery, cutting away the "10" from the stamp. I did save that piece, as I can always mount the two images back together on a block, to stamp them as intended. I placed the shoes where I wanted them on the circle, and also placed the greeting, from the "12 Days Companion Greetings" set, in place. I picked up both with an acrylic block, and stamped them using Memento Tuxedo Black ink. Finally I colored the shoes with colored pencils.

All that was left at this point was to assemble the card. I cut a strip of red cardstock, and cut one long edge with a pair of decorative-edge scissors. (Remember those oldie-but-goody tools? LOL) I glued that to one side of my background panel, so only about 1/4" of the strip stuck out. Then I adhered my background to a white A2 card base, and glued the circle on top. And this card was done!

Rainbow Hello

The Lawnscaping Challenge Blog's current theme is "Color Inspired by the Rainbow." I couldn't decide on any one color, so I just created a rainbow!

I began by die cutting a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper with the largest of Lawn Fawn's "Small Stitched Rectangle" dies. I also die cut the "Scripty Hello" by Lawn Fawn from freezer paper. I ironed the freezer paper to the watercolor paper to act as a mask, and taped the panel to a cutting board. Then I took my Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolor paints and painted a rainbow across my panel.

Unfortunately, after drying my piece thoroughly, when I removed the mask, I discovered that the color had seeped under the "hello" considerably. I'm not sure why, but there it was. So I ended up die cutting the "hello" again from black paper, and gluing that over the "masked" area with Ranger Multi Medium Matte.

To finish the card, I matted the panel with more black paper, and adhered that to a white A2 card base. I added a coat of Glossy Accents to the "hello," and used more Multi Medium to glue on a few Sparkling Clear sequins (4mm & 6mm) by Pretty Pink Posh. I included this card in my final shipment to Operation Write Home.

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Sparkle & Shine."

So Thoughtful

The theme for the final challenge at Operation Write Home, sponsored by Our Daily Bread Designs, is "thank you cards." I have had this image & greeting set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps for several months at least, and have never ever used it! This past weekend, when making some cards to send in my final OWH package, I pulled out several digi images that I haven't used, and printed them out to color and add to cards. This is one of those cards.

I decided that the image needed a somewhat large area, so I chose Sketch #213 by OWH. I created a blank "canvas" in Photoshop, sized to 4x5.25". After determining where the edges of my patterned paper strips would land, I dragged the image onto the canvas, and sized it to fit in the open area. I also added one of the greetings from that same Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps set. Finally, I printed it on a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media Paper, cut to the same size as the Photoshop canvas.

I colored the image with my Inktense pencils, using a damp paintbrush to blend the colors out and create some shading. I chose 3 different patterned papers from my scrap stash, and cut them into strips to border the image. I wasn't sure at first what to do with the circle element in the sketch, where the strips intersect. I tried punching a small heart first, but it was just a bit too small, and got lost in the circle. I ended up die cutting & embossing a heart with the smallest of Little B's "Hearts" dies. I did need to die cut a slightly larger circle than I did initially (using a Spellbinders "Standard Circles LG" die), but the size still worked.

After adhering my patterned paper strips in place on the main panel, I glued the heart to the circle and glued that in place on the panel. I did have to cut the bottom-most strip slightly shorter, to keep it from sticking out past the left part of the circle. Finally, I matted the panel with a piece of dark blue cardstock, and mounted that on a white A2 card base.

Missing U

I've been enjoying May Flaum's Camp Scrap 2015 for the past few weeks. It's sad to think it's coming to an end soon! The prompt for the 4th week of camp was to create something inspired by something else. I recently came across this card through Pinterest. I liked the mix of the stamp with the sticker "u," and decided to give it a try myself. For my card, I chose Operation Write Home's Sketch #227. That particular sketch comes in 2 different options: one with a circle focal panel and the other with a rectangle. I decided to use the one with the rectangle.

After choosing my patterned papers from my scrap stash, I went ahead & adhered the striped pattern to a piece of kraft cardstock. I also matted a piece of white cardstock, cut to the size of the focal panel in the sketch, with a piece of teal. I used the strip of teal dot paper to determine where to stamp my greeting. I put the cardstock panel in my MISTI, and used a grid sheet to line up my stamp, from Hero Arts' "Year Round Sentiments" set. I put a piece of painter's tape over the "u" in the stamp, and inked up the rest with Versafine Onyx Black. I removed the tape, and stamped the greeting.

For the "u," I die cut one from dark teal cardstock, using a die from the Hero Arts "Alphabet Uppercase" set. I ran it through my Xyron Sticker Maker, to apply adhesive to the back side. I adhered it to my focal panel, to which I'd already adhered the dot patterned paper strip. Finally, I mounted the panel to my card front, and adhered that to a white A2 card base. This card has gone in my final shipment for Operation Write Home.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

A Blog Named Hero: "Make the Sentiment the Star"
a2z Scrapboking: "CAS"

i {heart} u

I've been participating in this year's Camp Scrap the past few weeks. The prompt for the second week of camp was "monochromatic." I decided to create a love-themed card for my final shipment to Operation Write Home.

I started by choosing one of the greetings in Hero Arts' "Words of Love" digital set. Using Photoshop, I changed the colors of the "i" & "u" to a dark magenta, and the heart to pink, then printed it on a piece of white cardstock. I decided to use Operation Write Home's Sketch #259 for my design.

The patterned paper I chose (from my scrap stash) was not quite tall enough to work for the large panel in the sketch. So I cut an extra, 1/4" wide strip of burgundy cardstock to go along the top of my card. Even though the sketch did not call for the focal panel to be matted, I decided to use a narrow burgundy mat, just to set the greeting apart from the patterned paper better. After cutting my pieces, I matted the greeting, and adhered everything to a white A2 card base. And that finished this CAS card. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! :)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

A Blog Named Hero "Make the Sentiment the Star"
a2z Scrapbooking "CAS"

You're the Gratest

One of the technique lessons in Week 1 of this year's Camp Scrap was on gloss gel resist. I decided to use it on this card, which I will be sending in my final shipment to Operation Write Home. I knew I wanted to use Lawn Fawn's "Best Pun Ever" stamp set, but was at a loss for design ideas. So I went cruising on Pinterest, and found this card, which I decided to CASE. Since I didn't want to reproduce it exactly, I made it a point not to look at the photo of it while I created mine.

I began by cutting a piece of green patterned paper from my scrap stash. I taped the "Triangle Pattern" stencil by Hero Arts/BasicGrey over that, and spread Liquitex Gloss Super Heavy Gel medium through the stencil. Unfortunately, in a couple of spots the medium spread under the stencil. But I figured I could probably cover those areas up later, so I just set it aside to dry, rather than starting over completely.

I stamped the cheese & grater on a scrap of 140 lb. watercolor paper in Ranger Archival Jet Black ink, then colored them in with Inktense pencils, blending the colors with a damp paintbrush. Once they were dry, I die cut them with the coordinating dies. I also stamped the greeting, from the same stamp set, on a piece of white cardstock, and die cut that using a "Nesting Scallops" circle die by Lifestyle Crafts.

Once my background piece was dry, I inked over it with Mowed Lawn Distress ink. Where I'd applied the gel medium resisted the ink, so it only stuck on the spaces in between. Then I had to decide how to cover my "mistakes" (a.k.a., opportunities for embellishment) from the medium going under the stencil. I figured I could use the strip I was cutting to ground the cheese & grater to cover one area, and the greeting piece for the other. So I cut the strip and cut off part of the scalloped circle. I inked both with Antique Linen Distress ink, just to tone them down a bit, then glued them in place, and glued the images down. The design looked a little too heavy on the right side, though, so I ended up adding a patterned paper strip to the left, which I also inked with Antique Linen. Finally, I matted that with a piece of yellow check patterned paper, mounted that onto a piece of kraft cardstock, and adhered the completed card front to a white A2 card base.

Let Love Soar

A Blog Named Hero is having a photo inspiration challenge on their blog:

Obviously, the rainbow colors inspired me with this card. I also got the inspiration for my design from this card by Kelly at a2z Scrapbooking's blog. I decided to make basically a one-layer card, using masking for the balloon & sky strip.

After die cutting my panel from 140 lb watercolor paper using the largest of Lawn Fawn's "Large Stitched Rectangle" dies, I determined where I wanted the sky on my card, and marked that lightly in pencil. I went ahead & stamped my greeting in Ranger Archival Jet Black ink, then stamped the balloon on the panel, also in Jet Black. (Both the image & greeting are from Hero Arts' "Happy Birthday" stamp set, which I believe is no longer available.) I also stamped the balloon on some Simon Says Stamp masking paper, and cut out the upper part. I masked the balloon, then used Post-It tape to mask off either side of the sky portion. I created a cloud stencil by die cutting a scrap piece of acetate with the cloud-type die from Mama Elephant's "Landscape Trio" set. While holding that in place on my card panel, I inked above it with Broken China Distress ink. I moved my stencil down, and inked some more, leaving some white for the clouds. I kept repeating that until I'd covered that strip. Then I went back with some Tumbled Glass Distress ink and lightly sponged over the clouds, to soften them up a bit. Finally I removed my masking & erase my pencil lines.

I used my Inktense pencils and a damp paintbrush to color my balloon & basket. One thing I love about this image is that the balloon itself has 7 sections, making it easy to color in ROY G BIV order--and get ALL the colors in! Once I'd colored my balloon and let it dry, all I had to do was adhere the completed panel to a white A2 card base. This card will be going in my final shipment next week to Operation Write Home.

I'm also entering this card in the following challenges:

a2z Scrapbooking's July Challenge: CAS
Live Love Cards July Challenge: Masking
Operation Write Home's July Mid-month Throwdown: Love cards without hearts

A Special Season

Today is the final day in Catch the Bug challenge blog's "Christmas in July" series of challenges. For this challenge, they listed several combinations of elements, and participants were to choose one combination and make a card incorporating those elements. I chose the combination of ribbon, image, & stitching.

I based my design somewhat loosely on Operation Write Home's Sketch #143:

I made my card a landscape (horizontal) format, added one strip, and put my focal panel over the strips.

To begin, I opened the "Snowflake Reindeer Silhouette" image from Bugaboo Stamps in Photoshop. After sizing the image, I wanted to recolor it. So I created a new layer above the reindeer layer, filled it with a dark red color, and clipped it to the reindeer layer. I adjusted the opacity of the color layer to 60%, so the details on the reindeer would show through. I added a greeting from Doodle Pantry's "Holiday Greetings" set, colored it the same way, and finally printed all that out on a piece of white cardstock.

I chose 3 Christmas-themed ribbons from my stash (source: Michael's), and glued them to a piece of brown cardstock, trimming off the ends flush with the edges of the cardstock. I tacked down my focal panel on top, using a little ATG adhesive in the middle, then sewed it to the base with my sewing machine. Finally, I adhered the completed card front to a white A2 card base. I will be sending this card to Operation Write Home this month, as part of my final shipment.

Warm Holiday Greetings

The challenge for Thursday in Catch the Bug's "Christmas in July" series this week was a photo challenge:

I must admit, I was stumped by this when I first saw it. Even though I live in Texas, where we've had a white Christmas only once that I can remember in the past 30+ years, isn't Christmas supposed to be snowy? So I looked through my Bugaboo images, and found this one. The snowman is made from marshmallows, so the idea of toasted marshmallows came to me!

To begin, I chose Operation Write Home's Sketch #166:

I rotated the sketch 90 degrees counterclockwise, used the embellishment area for my greeting, and replaced the two panels behind the focal piece with one.

I printed my image on a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media Paper that I'd cut to the size in the sketch. I colored it with Inktense pencils, using a damp paintbrush to blend the colors. Rather than snow, I gave the snowman grass to stand on. I even thought the snowflakes in the image could be sweat droplets! After I finished the coloring, I set that aside to dry.

For the background, I decided to use a resist technique I'd learned in Camp Scrap. I taped the "Rays" layering stencil by Tim Holtz over another piece of Mixed Media Paper, and spread Liquitex Gloss Super Heavy Gel that I'd colored with Wild Honey Distress ink over it. After that dried, I blended Broken China Distress ink over the panel. Where I'd put the gel medium, it resisted the blue. Unfortunately (without really thinking), I blended where the sun would be with blue as well, so when I'd finished inking, I cut a piece of sunshine patterned paper (from my scrap stash) into a semi-circle to cover that up. I also trimmed 1/2" off the side of the panel, and added a strip of that same patterned paper behind that.

I stamped the greeting (stamp set name unknown) in Hero Arts Pool ink on a scrap of Mixed Media Paper, then die cut it with one of the "Stitched Tags" by Pretty Pink Posh. I then inked around the perimeter with Spiced Marmalade Distress ink.

After matting the background on a piece of navy cardstock, I glued down my focal panel and greeting. Because of the uneven thickness on the background, I set the panel under a book to dry, to make sure the glue stayed in contact with both the background & focal panel. Finally, after it had dried for a couple of hours, I mounted the completed card front to a white A2 card base.

I'm also entering this in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Anything Goes"
Live Love Cards July "Masking"

Ho (Cubed)

Wednesday's theme for Catch the Bug challenge blog's this week was a bingo challenge, with an added touch of humor. I chose the row with "Bugaboo image," "Shiny," & "Embossing" for my card.

I began by choosing Operation Write Home's Sketch # 195:

For my image, I used Bugaboo Stamp's "Stocking Santa Ornament." I reversed the image to work better with the sketch. I printed it on a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, and colored it with my Inktense pencils, blending the color with a damp paintbrush. After the Inktense color had dried, I added a bit of "ground" with watered-down Pumice Stone Distress ink. Then I set that aside to dry.

For the background, to go with the whimsical image, I decided to use the "Dot Swirl" embossing folder by Sizzix for Hero Arts. I embossed a red cardstock panel that I'd cut to 4.25x5.5", and adhered a strip of patterned paper (from my scrap stash) to that. After rounding the corners of the focal panel with my 3/8" Corner Chomper, I matted it with a piece of navy cardstock, and rounded the corners of that as well. Then I adhered that in place on the background.

I decided to use the "embellishment" spot for my greeting. I stamped the "Ho (cubed)" (stamp set name unknown, but the greeting is humor any math person would know!) on a piece of white cardstock. I heat embossed it with Ranger Liquid Platinum embossing powder. I die cut & (dry) embossed it with a Spellbinders "Classic Ovals LG" die, then inked around the perimeter with Salty Ocean Distress ink. I glued that in place, and then adhered the card front to an A2 card base. As a finishing touch, I added a coat of Glossy Accents to the ornament & the star on Santa's hat. (Unfortunately, that doesn't show up in the photo too well.)

I'm also entering my card in Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Anything Goes" challenge.

Jolly Snowmen

Tuesday's theme in Catch the Bug's "Christmas in July" challenge series was a recipe challenge. Participants need to use 3 embellishments, 2 patterned papers, and 1 string/twine.

I chose Operation Write Home's Sketch #232 for my design:

I printed the "Two Snowmen" image from Bugaboo Stamps onto a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, and colored it with my Inktense pencils, using a damp paintbrush to blend the colors. After that had dried, I matted it with a piece of dark teal cardstock.

I stamped my greeting (stamp set name unknown) on a piece of white cardstock, using Ranger Archival French Ultramarine ink. I die cut & embossed it with a Spellbinders "Standard Circles LG" die, then punched a hole in each side with a 1/16" hole punch. I threaded crochet thread through the greeting circle, wrapped it around the bottom of the mat, and taped the ends on the back. Then I glued my greeting down, to hold it in place.

I cut & adhered 2 pieces of patterned paper from my scrap stash to another piece of the dark teal cardstock. I adhered my focal panel in place, then marked & pierced 3 holes along one side, for my snowflake brads (source unknown). I mounted the finished card front to a white A2 card base, and now have another card ready to go to Operation Write Home!

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Anything Goes" challenge.

Merry Christmas to You

Catch the Bug challenge blog is having their "Christmas in July" challenge series this week. Monday's theme was a color challenge:

I must admit, I had a bit of trepidation with this color palette. I mean, the greens I could see in a Christmas card, but teal??? But I decided to go for it!

I used the "Winter Snowman" image by Bugaboo Stamps for my card. I did flip the image horizontally, to make it work better with my greeting, from Doodle Pantry.

After printing the image on a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, I colored it with Inktense pencils, keeping mostly to the green/teal color scheme. I did add a bit of Mid-Vermilion for the stars, carrot, and heart; and brown for the arms. Then I set that aside to dry.

For the background, I decided to go with stripes. I used 2 patterned papers: a tone-on-tone green paper from my scrap stash, and Recollections' "Blue Marbling" 12x12" paper. I cut them into 5/8" wide strips, and adhered them to the front of my card base. Then I matted my main panel with a dark teal cardstock, and adhered it to the card.

As a finishing touch, I added some Glossy Accents to the ornaments, stars, & little heart on the snowman. I was so tempted to add some glitter or clear Wink of Stella to the snow, but I'm sending this card to Operation Write Home. Glitter makes our military heroes visible to enemy night-vision goggles, so it's a definite no-no! But, for all my trepidation at the start, I think my card turned out really well!

Jolly Holly Days

This is my second card for the "Sparkle & Shine" Lawnscaping challenge. I did a similar card for last Christmas, inspired by one by Kristina Werner.

I used the "Deck the Halls" mini stamp set by Lawn Fawn. After die cutting a circle using one of Lifestyle Crafts' "Nesting Scallops," I stamped the greenery & pine cones to create a wreath. (The inks I used were Hero Arts Cup o' Joe, Forever Green, & Soft Leaf; Stampabilities' Christmas Green pigment ink; and Chestnut Roan chalk ink by Colorbox.) Once I had the wreath looking full enough, I glued the panel to a piece of patterned paper from my scrap stash.

I stamped the "Jolly Holly Days" from the same stamp set on a scrap of white cardstock, in Versamark ink. I heat embossed that with Ranger Gold embossing powder, and cut it into a strip. I then adhered it to my card front, below the focal panel. Then I mounted my card front to a white A2 card base.

Detail shot of Liquid Pearl dots

 For the "shine" part, I added dots of Gold Pearl Liquid Pearls on the wreath, and on either side of the greeting. Then I set that aside to dry. And that finished this quick, simple Christmas card for Operation Write Home.

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Anything Goes" challenge.

I Love U

The Lawnscaping blog is having a "Sparkle & Shine" challenge. I decided to use Lawn Fawn's "Peace Joy Love" stamp set to create a love-themed card. This set is actually a Christmas set, but I figured the "love" stamp would be perfect paired with the "I" and "U" from Lawn Fawn's Riley's ABCs.

I began by die cutting a tag from 140 lb. watercolor paper with one of the dies from the "Tags a Lot" set by Mama Elephant. I stamped my greeting on that in Ranger Archival Jet Black ink, and trimmed some off the top of the tag, just so the greeting wouldn't look "lost." I punched 2 holes with a 1/16" hole punch. Then I smooshed Distress inks in Worn Lipstick, Spun Sugar, and Tattered Rose on my non-stick craft sheet, spritzed those with water, and laid the tag face down in the ink puddles. I pounced and swished it through the ink, occasionally drying it with my heat tool, until I got the depth and variety of color I wanted.

For the card front, I die cut a frame from white cardstock using 2 dies from the "Large Stitched Rectangle" set by Lawn Fawn. I also cut a piece of patterned paper (from my scrap stash) with the small rectangle die. I adhered the patterned paper rectangle on my card front, using the frame to get it positioned exactly. I also flicked some Heidi Swapp Gold Color Shine mist on the frame, to give it some added interest.

I cut 2 pieces of crochet thread and tied each in a bow through the holes in the tag. After applying foam tape to the back of my tag, I peeled the release paper from one of the pieces and lightly adhered it to the center of my card. I laid my frame in place, and marked where I wanted the holes for the thread. I pierced the holes, and threaded the twine through. This is where it got tricky. I applied adhesive to the front of the card base, around the edges and around the patterned paper panel. I threaded the crochet thread through the holes in the frame, and adhered the frame to the card base, sandwiching the thread in between the layers. It took quite a bit of fiddling, since the frame kept getting stuck in the adhesive where I didn't want it, but I finally prevailed!

I stamped 2 birds from "Peace Joy Love" in Hero Arts Butter Bar ink on white cardstock. I outlined them and added eyes with a black pen, then cut them out. I went around the edges with a black brush tip marker, to camouflage the white paper. Then I added foam tape to the back of each, and adhered them so it looks like they are holding the tag up. I lifted the tag, peeled off the rest of the release papers, and stuck it in place. Finally, I used some Ranger Multi Medium Matte to glue some sequins from Doodlebug Design & Pretty Pink Posh. And that finished this card, which I'll be sending in to Operation Write Home!

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Monday challenge: "Anything Goes."

Season's Greetings!

Day 2 of Catch the Bug Challenge Blog's week-long "Christmas in July" series is a sketch challenge:

I chose to use Bugaboo Stamp's "Penguin 3" image for my card. After doing a digital mock-up in Photoshop to work out the design & exact measurements, I sized the penguin and printed him on a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media Paper. I die cut that with a Spellbinders "Standard Circles LG" die, and colored the image with Inktense pencils, using a wet brush to blend the colors. I also die cut a mat from black paper with one of the "Nesting Scallops" circle dies by Lifestyle Crafts. I glued the focal panel to the mat, and set that aside while I worked on the rest of the card.

Because of the teal blue I'd used in the sky, I decided to go with a more blue-green color scheme for the rest of the card. I chose 3 patterned papers from my scrap stash, and cut the pieces from those. I glued the triangles in the corners of the background, and then worked out the exact placement of the patterned paper panel behind the focal piece. After marking its position, I applied adhesive to the back of the panel with my ATG gun, then adhered it to the background. Finally, I glued the focal piece in place.

It was at this point that I looked at the sketch again, and realized I'd forgotten about the greeting! So I went through my Christmas stamp sets, looking for a greeting that would fit both the space & overall look. I found one in the "Christmas Characters" set by Inkadinkado. I stamped it in Versafine Onyx Black ink on a piece of teal cardstock, then trimmed that into a thin strip. I glued that down, right along the top of the patterned paper panel. Thankfully, it fit--whew! :) All that remained was to adhere the completed card front to a white A2 card base, add a touch of Glossy Accents to the penguin's eyes, and this card is ready to send to Operation Write Home!

I'm also entering this card in Merry Monday's Challenge #166: Penguins.

Merry Christmas Bells

Catch the Bug Challenge Blog is having their "Christmas in July" challenge series this week. Each day has a different challenge theme. It actually started yesterday, with the theme being "Jingle All the Way." This is my first card for their challenges, based on that theme.

I began by choosing Operation Write Home's Sketch #251. I did rotate it 90 degrees counterclockwise, but that was the only alteration. I cut a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper to the size of the focal panel in the sketch, and printed my bells image, by Bugaboo Stamps, on that. (I'd already sized it in Photoshop.) I colored the image with Inktense pencils, using a damp paintbrush to blend the colors. Then I set that aside to dry.

I chose a greeting from Doodle Pantry's "Holiday Greetings" digital set. I sized it in Photoshop, and printed it directly on my red card front panel, which I'd cut to 4.25x5.5". I cut 3 strips of patterned papers from my scrap stash, staying with the red/green color scheme. Then I adhered them in place on the card front.

After rounding the corners of my image panel with my 1/8" Corner Chomper, I matted it with some gold cardstock. I rounded the corners of that as well, and adhered it to my card front. To finish up, I mounted the completed card front to a white A2 card base, then added a coat of Glossy Accents to the bells, berries, and leaves. I will be sending this card in my final box to Operation Write Home.

Pink Dahlia

Our Daily Bread Designs is having a color challenge on their blog this week. They posted this color palette, and challenged participants to create a card using 3 or more of those colors:

I decided to use their "Dahlia" stamp, with kind of a variation on the triple-stamping technique. (A variation, mostly because I forgot how to do it the "right" way! LOL) I began by stamping the flower on a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper that I'd cut with a Spellbinders "Standard Circles LG" die, in Colorbox Putty Archival dye ink. I then painted it with three shades of Alizarin Crimson watercolor. I wasn't going for a photorealistic effect with the painting; more of an overall ombre look.

After I dried the flower with my heat tool, I used my craft knife to cut out the center portion, then a slightly larger "ring" of petals. I die cut another circle from pink cardstock, and backed the remaining piece with that, so I'd have a surface to glue my sections to. I glued 3 layers of pink cardstock to the back of each of the sections I'd cut out, making sure they did not show around the edges. Because I'm sending this card to Operation Write Home, I could not use a lot of dimension, hence the cardstock layers instead of foam tape. After I glued the layers on, I glued my sections back in place, in the middle of the bottom layer. The layers provide a bit of lift, but still keep it thin enough to be easy to mail.

Once I had all that done, the rest of the card came together in a snap. My design inspiration came from Operation Write Home's Sketch #74. I used a pink and green plaid patterned paper scrap that was on my desk, and adhered a strip of a green polka dot paper to it. I ran a piece of dark green cardstock through my Grand Calibur, with the "Berry Swirls" embossing folder by Sizzix. Then I adhered my strips to that, and, after inking around the focal piece with Worn Lipstick Distress ink, I glued that to the card front. Since there was really no room left for a greeting, I'm sending this in to OWH as a "thinking of you" card. (That category is kind of a catch-all, including cards with no greetings.) In the end, it really makes it more versatile, since the hero who decides to use it can write pretty much any type of message inside. All that was left to do was mount it to a white A2 card base, and this card was done!

Heartfelt Thanks

I've been participating in May Flaum's Camp Scrap 2015 since it began on July 1st. One of the lessons in the "card" section was on the "one-spot" composition. Basically, you have an element and everything comes out from, or is grounded by, that element. I combined that with the technique lesson on gloss gel medium resist & the challenge prompt for Week 2 of camp: Monochromatic.

I began by cutting a piece of light yellow cardstock to 4.25x5.5". I used the "Basket Weave" stencil by Prima, and applied a layer of Liquitex Gloss Super Heavy Gel medium through it, concentrating on the lower left corner, and letting it "fade out" towards the middle of the cardstock panel. After that dried, I spritzed the panel with two Dylusions mists: Fresh Lime & Cut Grass. (I had chosen green as my main color for the monochromatic part of the challenge.)

While the misted cardstock dried, I prepared my other elements. I die cut a doily from white cardstock, using a Lifestyle Crafts die. I also die cut part of my greeting using Simon Says Stamp's "Thanks" die, from dark green cardstock. After cutting a strip of lime green cardstock, I placed my die cut "thanks" on it, roughly where I wanted it. I used that as a guide to stamp the first part of my greeting, the "heartfelt" from Simon Says Stamp's "Thanks" mini stamp set.

After my main panel had dried, I glued the doily in place, cutting off the bits that hung over the edges. I cut my greeting banner to length, and adhered it over the doily. I glued the "thanks" in place, after having run it through my Xyron Sticker Maker. Finally, I used Ranger Multi Medium Matte to glue down a few green buttons around the greeting. Once that glue had set up, I stitched through the buttonholes with some white crochet thread. Finally, I adhered the whole panel to a white A2 card base. I will be sending this card to Operation Write Home.

Flag Thanks

I am currently in the middle of making 25 AnyHero cards for a local scout troop, so they can write thank you notes to our overseas military heroes. I will be sending these on to Operation Write Home, as part of my final shipment of cards. (As a reminder, OWH is closing down operations, and will not be accepting card shipments after August 1, 2015. Any cards received after that date will be returned at the sender's expense. So if you want to donate, get those cards in soon!)

I decided to use the flag stamp from "Americana Blueprint" by Tim Holtz/Stamper's Anonymous. I inked up the stripes first with Versamark, then stamped that on a white cardstock panel, using my MISTI. I sprinkled on Zing Rouge embossing powder, and heat set that. Then, after cleaning my stamp well, I inked up just the star portion, and heat embossed that with Zing Blue embossing powder. (With my MISTI, I was able to get perfect placement of the second stamping. This would have been virtually impossible without this tool!) Because of the "open" design, this stamp is actually pretty easy to do that with, and I like the two-tone effect I got.

Since I wanted to keep this card simple, I used the "thanks" from Simon Says Stamp's "All Boy" stamp set, which is an outline image. I stamped that in Versafine Onyx Black ink, and heat embossed it with Recollections' Clear Detail embossing powder. Then I colored the letters in with red & blue gel pens. When that ink had dried, I coated each letter with Glossy Accents.

To finish the card, I matted my main panel with blue, then adhered that to a white A2-size card base.

I'm entering this card in Virginia's View Challenge #16: "100% Stamped."

Thanks

I've been working lately on thank you cards for boys in a local scout troop to write messages to our overseas heroes in. Operation Write Home calls these AnyHero cards. (I agreed--in a fit of optimism--to make 25 cards. I'm currently not quite half done, with about 1-1/2 weeks to go. Eek!) This is another in that series.

I based my design on OWH's Sketch #B-4:

I started by die cutting my focal panel from a patterned paper scrap with one of Spellbinders' "Angle Approach" cut-fold-tuck dies. After assembling it, I ran it through my Xyron Create-a-Sticker machine, to apply adhesive to the back side. I adhered it to a piece of dark grey cardstock, and cut around it to leave an 1/8" mat.

I die cut the greeting from white cardstock with one of the "Many Thanks" dies by My Favorite Things. I laid the greeting & focal piece on a piece of teal cardstock that I'd chosen for my background. They seemed like they were floating, though, so I decided to stamp the background with Impression Obsession's "Thin Stripes" stamp. I used Versamark ink, then heat embossed that with Recollections' Clear Detail embossing powder. This gave a subtle, tone-on-tone background. Enough detail to tie the elements together visually without overwhelming anything.

After adhering my focal piece on the background, I glued my greeting below it with Ranger Multi Medium Matte. I mounted that panel to a white A2 card base, and another thank you card is done!

Two More AnyHero Cards

A local Boy Scout troop that a friend of ours is kind of affiliated with has agreed to write thank you notes to our heroes overseas. I agreed to provide the (handmade) cards on which to write said notes. Twenty-five cards. Since I will have to ship my box of cards to Operation Write Home no later than July 27th, to get them there by the August 1st deadline, I'm going a little card-making crazy these days! LOL I even marked in my calendar how many weeks to my deadline, in one-week increments.

I created both cards using the same Operation Write Home sketch (B-15).

I began with this card by die cutting my focal piece, using dies from Spellbinders' "Carnival Dream" cut-fold-tuck set. I used 2 double-sided patterned papers from my scrap stash, one for the larger piece and the second for the smaller. Once I'd die cut and folded/tucked everything, I ran both through my Xyron Creative Station machine to apply adhesive to the backs. Then I adhered the smaller die cut to the center of the larger. I adhered that to a 4" circle I'd cut from orange cardstock. Finally, I put a brad through the center.

For the greeting, I used 3 stamps from the "Thanks" mini set by Simon Says Stamp. I stamped the whole greeting in Versafine Onyx Black ink, on a strip of cream cardstock.

I adhered a piece of teal cardstock to the front of my 4.25x4.25" card base, and adhered my greeting strip. I glued on the focal piece, positioning it so it would still fit in an A2-size envelope. And that finished this card.

For my second card, I did basically the exact same process. This time, I used Spellbinders' "Fascination" cut-fold-tuck die set for my focal piece, and a different stamp from the same SSS set to go with the "thanks." The smaller, center die cut is actually the same patterned paper as the smaller die cut in my first card, just flipped over. So, two more cards down, which brings my count of AnyHero cards to a total of 7. Just 18 more to go! :) Plus the others in the different OWH categories, to get a good variety. Whew!

Two AnyHero Cards

Simon Says Stamp's Monday challenge blog is having a "Summer" challenge this week. Here in East Texas, summer=hot! And hot makes me think of red. Since July 4th is also quintessentially summer, I decided to make 2 AnyHero cards for Operation Write Home. AnyHero cards are basically thank you cards that we write to military personnel overseas, thanking them for their service & sacrifice. A local Boy Scout troop has agreed to participate, and requested 25 cards. So I've been busy making thank you cards!

For my first card, I took inspiration from one of Laura Bassen's lessons in Online Card Classes' recent "Mask-erade" class. I first created a stencil by die cutting a scalloped square from a piece of acetate. Starting with Spun Sugar Distress ink, I inked through the stencil onto my white cardstock panel. I pivoted the stencil slightly, and inked through it again, using Worn Liptstick Distress ink, overlapping the first inked area. I continued in this fashion, with Distress inks in Abandoned Coral, Festive Berries, Barn Door, Fired Brick, and ended with Aged Mahogany. I did make sure to clean my stencil off after each inking, to keep from accidentally transferring color to the part of my cardstock I wanted to keep white.

Once all the inking was done, I removed my stencil. I die cut the "Thanks" from the panel with one of these dies, and also die cut it 5 more times from white cardstock. I glued all the die cuts together, to make one thick greeting. After backing the opening in my panel with a piece of Scor-Tape sheet, I placed my die cut in the opening, making sure to add the little inside pieces in the letters as well. Finally, I mounted the panel to a white A2-size card base.

I got the inspiration for my second card from this one that I found on Pinterest. I first die cut the 3 smallest stars from this set out of red, white, & blue cardstocks. Then I layered them with foam tape between each layer. One great thing about AnyHero cards is that, since these are not mailed in envelopes, there is not the same restriction on using dimension as for cards made for our heroes to send home! I embossed a piece of white cardstock with the "Argyle Background" embossing folder by Darice. Once that was done, I glued my stars in place, making sure to keep them in a straight vertical line, with reasonably even spacing.

For the greeting, I used the "Thank you" from Hero Arts' "Year Round Sentiments" stamp set. I stamped it on a piece of blue cardstock with Versamark ink, then heat embossed it with Ranger Super Fine Detail White embossing powder. I glued that in place on my background, then mounted the panel to a white card base.

I'm also entering my second card in a2z Scrapbooking's July Challenge: "CAS."

Birthday Wishes!

Whenever I've sent cards to Operation Write Home, I've always sent them in United States Postal Service Flat Rate envelopes. I've never once had enough at one time to send in a Flat Rate box. Since they will no longer be taking cards after August 1, 2015, my goal for my final shipment is to send in a box of cards. This card goes towards that goal.

I first stamped the hummingbird & bee balm flower (by Our Daily Bread Designs) on Strathmore Mixed Media Paper, using Colorbox Archival ink in the Putty color. I colored them with my Inktense pencils, using a damp paintbrush to blend the colors. The hummingbird proved to be the harder to color, as I kept tending to get hard lines between colors, rather than the soft blends I wanted. I think I finally got it to work, though. After I'd finished coloring, I zapped the hummingbird with my heat gun to make sure it was totally dry, then die cut it with the coordinating die.

For the frame panel, I first die cut an oval from another piece of Mixed Media Paper with a Spellbinders "Classic Ovals LG" die. I then stamped Our Daily Bread Design's "Gingham Background," using Hero Arts Soft Pool ink. Because there was a bit of an indentation left from the die cutting, the stamp didn't quite "take" right against the oval cutout. So I took a dark teal marker and colored around the oval, which also created a more defined frame for the bee balm panel.

I applied a LOT of foam tape to the back of the frame panel (to keep it from getting crushed in the mail), then adhered my bee balm panel to the back, so the flower is showing through the oval. I applied a tiny piece of foam tape behind the hummingbird's head, then used liquid adhesive on the rest of him to glue him in place.

I stamped one of the greetings from this Simon Says Stamp set onto another scrap of Mixed Media Paper, then die cut it with a Spellbinders "Classic Ovals SM" die. I inked around the edges with Peacock Feathers Distress ink, then glued it in place. Finally, I adhered the finished panel to a white A2 card base.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Our Daily Bread Designs' "Anything Goes with ODBD"
Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Summer"

Thank You

One of the technique lessons in this year's Camp Scrap is on Glossy Gel Resist. I created this card, to send a thank you note to our overseas military, utilizing that technique.

I first cut a piece of striped patterned paper from the "Red White & Blue" 6x6" pad by We R Memory Keepers. I taped that to a non-stick craft sheet, then taped the "Stars" stencil by Tim Holtz over it. I spread Liquitex Gloss Super Heavy Gel Medium over the stencil. Once I had even coverage, I removed the stencil and set my paper aside to dry while I cleaned off my stencil, mat, and palette knife.

After the medium dried, I blended Faded Jeans Distress ink over the panel, and then went around the edges with Chipped Sapphire Distress ink to darken them slightly. Where I'd applied the gel medium, it resisted the ink, preserving the pattern behind.

I decided, once I'd finished my technique piece, to change directions a bit with my card. I'd initially thought I would make just a CAS card, with the panel on the left and my greeting on the lower right. But I felt using Operation Write Home's Sketch #206 would be even better. So I cut my panel down a bit, and matted it with red cardstock.

I used a Spellbinders "Standard Circles SM" die to cut a 3" circle from another pattern from that same pad, and adhered it behind the matted technique piece. I stamped my greeting (Stampabilities' "Thank You Circle Seal") on white cardstock, using Hero Arts Navy mid-tone shadow ink, and die cut it with another Spellbinders die.

For the background, I embossed a piece of white cardstock with the "Tiny Stars" embossing folder by The Paper Studio. I matted it with blue cardstock, and adhered that to my white A2 card base. I adhered my technique piece with the 3" circle to that, and finally mounted my greeting circle with some foam tape.

Happy Birthday

May Flaum's Camp Scrap 2015 started this past Wednesday. I've been looking forward to this for weeks now! May always delivers tons of content, and never disappoints in either quantity or, more importantly, quality. One of the lessons in this first week was on grid layouts. While I was not thinking of that when I started die cutting the elements for my card, the circular die cuts reminded me of Operation Write Home's Sketch #229, which basically is a grid layout. And that reminded me of May's lesson. Even though she applied it to a scrapbook layout, it works equally well for cards!

I began by die cutting my elements using the smallest die from Spellbinders' "Angle Approach" Cut-Fold-Tuck set. These dies work best with double-sided paper, so I pulled 2 such patterns from my scrap stash. Thankfully, I had just enough to cut 3 pieces from each pattern! I also die cut 6 circles from orange cardstock, with a Spellbinders "Standard Circles SM" die. After running my patterned die cuts through my Xyron Creative Station, to apply a layer of adhesive to the backs, I adhered them to the orange circles.

For the greeting, I used one from the "Wish Big" stamp set from the Essentials by Ellen line. I stamped it 3 times, in a line, on cream cardstock using Hero Arts Navy mid-tone shadow ink. Then I cut that into a strip, making sure to center the middle portion of the greeting.

I cut another piece of patterned paper from my scrap stash for the background, then adhered the circles to that. For the mat, I inked the edges of a piece of white cardstock with the navy ink. Finally, I adhered my background and greeting strip to the mat, and mounted that on an A2-size card base. This card will be going in my final box to Operation Write Home.

Thinking of You

The deadline for Ellen Hutson's June "Pin-spired" challenge is tonight. I was inspired for this card by the colors in the mood board.

I die cut several flowers & leaves from 140 lb. watercolor paper using all 4 dies in the "Bold Blossoms" stand-alone die set by Essentials by Ellen. I placed all the die cuts on my non-stick craft sheet, and spritzed them with water. Then I took watercolors in pale blue, pink, orange, and yellow, and daubed them on the flowers. I did the same with the leaves, using teal and a couple of shades of green. Finally, when I had the colors as I wanted, I zapped the die cuts with my heat tool to dry them.

For the greeting, I stamped one from the "In My Heart" set by Mama Elephant in Versamark ink onto black paper. Then I heat embossed it with Ranger Super Fine Detail White embossing powder. (I felt the white on black would add a nice pop of contrast to the more pale die cuts.) I cut it into a strip, and cut one end into a V-shape to create a banner.

After running the die cuts through my Xyron Creative Station machine, to apply adhesive to the backs, I arranged them on a piece of blue cardstock I'd cut to 4.25x5.5". When I achieved a pleasing arrangement, I pressed them down to stick them permanently. I trimmed off the overhanging portions with my scissors, and glued down the greeting banner. Finally, I mounted the panel to a white A2 card base, and added a few Sparkling Clear sequins by Pretty Pink Posh, with some Ranger Multi Medium Matte.

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Anything Goes" challenge.