Deck the Halls

The current Lawnscaping challenge theme is "One Layer." I must admit, when I pulled out my Lawn Fawn stamps, I was not feeling inspired. I did start a one-layer card, but the ink for some reason never dried and I ended up smearing it. Since I wasn't enamored with the design to begin with, I just scrapped that idea, and tossed the card in my recycling bin. Finally, I decided to go with my other idea, to create a wreath with several of the elements in the "Deck the Halls" mini stamp set.

First, I created a white top-folding A2 card base from 110 lb. cardstock. I lightly traced with a pencil around the smallest "Grand Circles" die by Spellbinders in the upper right corner, creating a path to guide my stamping. I stamped the pine branches with Hero Arts Forever Green & Soft Leaf inks; the pine cones with Hero Arts Cup o' Joe & Colorbox Chestnut Roan chalk ink; the small leaf cluster with Hero Arts Green Hills; and the berries with Hero Arts Red Royal and Delicata Golden Glitz. When the wreath was as full as I wanted it, I moved on to the greeting.

This is where my process got a bit dicey. I totally forgot the challenge requirement to make this a one-layer card. I stamped the "Deck the Halls" greeting on a strip of white cardstock, heat embossed it with Ranger Gold embossing powder, and blended Gathered Twigs Distress ink over that, for a bit of contrast. I cut that into a banner shape, added some gold glitter cardstock & another banner from a plaid patterned paper, and layered them onto the card. As I was admiring my handiwork, it suddenly dawned on me what I'd done! Thankfully, I was able to peel my banners CAREFULLY off the card front, without ripping the cardstock base. Whew! :)

I then stamped the same greeting directly on the card front with Versamark ink, and heat embossed it with the gold embossing powder. The greeting still looked like it needed something to ground it, though. I considered masking off the areas above & below it, and inking over the greeting with Gathered Twigs. But that seemed like it would be too heavy. So I lightly penciled in a line on either side of the greeting, in the middle, to see if I liked that. I did, so I erased the pencil and redrew the line with a gold gel pen, using my T-square ruler to make sure it was straight. I rounded the upper right corner with the 1/2" side of my Corner Chomper, and this card is done!

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

Live Love Cards September "Sparkle & Shine"
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Anything Goes"

Happy Birthday Cupcake Shaker

On Day 3 of Online Card Classes' "Watercolor for Card Makers: Exploring Mediums," Shari Carroll had a lesson on gelatos & watercolor crayons. For this card, I used Caran d'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons to color my card front.

I first stamped the "Capture Prism" background by Hero Arts on to a panel of 140 lb. watercolor paper, using Versamark ink. I heat embossed that with Ranger Liquid Platinum embossing powder. Some of the areas of the stamp didn't quite cover fully, so I filled in those spots with my Versamarker, sprinkled on more embossing powder, and melted that. To apply the colors, I scribbled with a crayon in each space, going down the columns and alternating sides of each opening. Then I took a damp paintbrush and spread the color out, to get a gradient in each section. Then I set that aside to air dry.

After it had dried, I die cut the cupcake from the panel, using dies from the "Birthday Bash" set by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I also stamped the cupcake with the coordinating stamps on a piece of white cardstock, using Hero Arts Fresh Peach & Pool inks. I applied dots of Star Dust Stickles to the "sprinkles" on the cupcake frosting, and let that dry.

I adhered a piece of acetate behind the cupcake window in my watercolor paper, then applied 2 layers of foam tape to the back. I filled the space behind the window with pink, blue, & clear seed beads from my stash, then removed the release papers from the foam tape. I adhered my stamped panel, so the cupcake shows through the window.

For the greeting, I stamped one from "Birthday Bash" on white cardstock, using the Pool ink, then cut it into a banner strip. I adhered it to the card front, then mounted the completed shaker to a white A2 card base. I will be sending this to Send a Smile 4 Kids.

I'm entering my card in the following challenges:

a2z Scrapbooking's September "Shake It Up"
A Blog Named Hero's "Die Cutting"
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "No Designer Paper"

It's Your Birthday

On Day 1 of Online Card Classes' "Watercolor for Card Makers: Exploring Mediums," they emphasized watercolor markers. Kristina Werner had a lesson on doing a halo frame with a marker & water. I took my inspiration from that for this card.

I started by cutting a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper. After I determined how large an oval I needed to accommodate my image, I lightly traced around a Spellbinders "Classic Ovals LG" die. I applied masking fluid along the line, and let that dry thoroughly for several hours. Once it was dry, I scribbled a purple marker on an acrylic block. I wet the area outside the masking fluid line with clean water, then used my damp paintbrush to pick up the color from my block. I applied it where I'd wet the paper, and let the water blend the color out. I did have to sop up some excess color with a paper towel, but mostly the water did all the work for me. I then let that dry for several hours, and removed the masking.

I stamped my image, from Penny Black's "Birthday Party" set, in the middle of my oval frame, using Versafine Onyx Black ink. I also stamped a greeting from the "Big Birthday Wishes" set by Simon Says Stamp above the image, curving the stamp to follow the curve of the frame. Once the ink had dried, I colored the image with my Inktense pencils and a damp brush.

Once everything was dry, I trimmed my panel by 1/8" on all sides, and wrapped some yellow baker's twine around, taping the ends to the back. I used more twine to tie a bow, and matted the panel with black paper, leaving a 1/16" border. Finally, I mounted it to a white A2 card base. This will be another card for my sister-in-law's birthday. She & my brother just adopted 2 puppies, so I thought this image would be perfect for her!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Monday "STAMPtember Use a Stamp & Bloghop"
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "No Designer Paper"
Fab 'n' Funky Challenges #274: "Cute Critters and/or Christmas"

Christmas Blessings Shaker

Online Card Classes has been having their "Watercolor for Card Makers: Exploring Mediums" class this week. One of the mediums they discussed and demonstrated was tube watercolors. Even though I've had my Winsor & Newton Cotman tube watercolors for some time, I haven't really played with them all that much. Today I decided to pull them out for this card.

Merry Monday Christmas Challenge blog is having their Challenge #172: "Make a Christmas card using watercoloring." I figured this card would be a perfect fit.

I began by stamping the "Large Petal Background," by Hero Arts & BasicGrey, in Versamark ink on a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media paper. I heat embossed that with Ranger Gold embossing powder. Then I used my craft knife to cut out the center portion, to create a window for my shaker. I painted the remaining sections in 3 shades of blue, then let that air dry.

Detail of greeting

Once my panel was dry, I taped the "Christmas Blessings" dies, by Simon Says Stamp, onto it, overlapping the edges of the window. I ran it through my die cutting machine, with a dryer sheet under the paper to hold on to the little negative die cut pieces. I also die cut the greeting out of some gold cardstock. I adhered a piece of acetate behind my card panel, with a combination of Be Creative tape at the sides, & Ranger Multi Medium Matte for the more intricate areas. After running my die cut words through my Xyron Sticker Maker, I adhered them over the window, inlaying them into the spaces where I'd cut out the letters from the panel. I also inlaid all the negative pieces into the openings in the letters, using Multi Medium to glue them down.

I cut a piece of white cardstock to the same size as my front panel, and blended Broken China Distress ink over the entire piece. I made sure to keep it lighter in the middle and darker around the edges. Then, I applied 2 layers of foam tape to the back of my window panel, making sure none showed through the window opening. I filled the shaker part with a mix of blue & gold sequins from Doodlebug Design, 6mm Sparkling Clear sequins by Pretty Pink Posh, and an assortment of seed beads from my stash. (Leftovers from my beading days!) After removing all the release papers from the foam tape, I adhered my backer panel. Then I added my completed card front to a white A2 card base. I will be giving this to my counselor's receptionist for Christmas this year. She loves blue, and shaker cards!

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

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "No Designer Paper"
Simon Says Stamp's Monday "STAMPtember Use a Stamp Challenge & Bloghop"
a2z Scrapbooking's September challenge "Shake It Up"
A Blog Named Hero's "Die Cutting"

Birthday Shaker

I've been participating in Online Card Classes' "Watercolor for Card Makers: Exploring Mediums" class this past week. It's kind of a followup to their earlier "Watercolor for Card Makers" class, but this time they focus more on different watercolor mediums and how to use them. I decided to make a shaker card, using a lesson by Shari Carroll on Day 3 of class as inspiration.

I first made random scribbles on a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, using my Faber Castell gelatos. Once I had applied the colors, I blended them with my finger. After I'd blended them, the colors were a little pale & blah, so I reapplied somewhat darker gelatos to get a richer color, then blended again. Finally, I took a Prima stencil (name unknown), and taped it over my panel. I wiped through the stencil with a baby wipe, to lift some of the gelato color from the open areas and create a subtle pattern.

I die cut 3 openings in my panel, using dies from Lawn Fawn's "Party Balloons" set. I went ahead and also die cut the first part of my greeting with the "Happy" die by Simon Says Stamp, from black paper. I positioned it on the panel, and used that as a placeholder so I could stamp & clear heat emboss the "birthday," from one of the greetings in Simon Says Stamp's "Big Birthday Wishes" set. Then I glued down the "happy."

I next started applying double layers of foam tape to the back of my panel, so the beads I was using would have plenty of room to shake. I was in the middle of this, when I realized I'd forgotten to adhere the acetate behind my windows, so the shaker beads would not fall out! Thankfully, I was able to peel the foam tape away from the upper part of the panel, without ruining anything. I cut a piece of acetate, and adhered it with some Be Creative double-sided tape. I finished adding the foam tape, and then went around the edges of each of my window areas with my powder bag, to help deactivate the adhesive on the edges of the foam tape. Then I put my seed beads in each window, removed the liner papers from the foam adhesive, and adhered a piece of teal cardstock as a backer sheet. I tied 3 bows from crochet thread, and glued them to the bottoms of the balloon windows with Ranger Multi Medium Matte. All that was left then was to mount it to a top-folding A2 card base. I will be giving this to my sister-in-law for her birthday next week.

I'm entering my card in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "No Designer Paper"
Simon Says Stamp's Monday "STAMPtember Use a Stamp Challenge & Blog Hop"

Happy Birthday

My sister-in-law's birthday is next week. I asked my brother if he wanted me to make a card for him to give to her, and he said that would be wonderful. I asked if he had any requests, and he said if I could do something with bunnies, that would work. She had had a rabbit as a pet, who died suddenly last year when they were away on a trip. I found several photos of her late rabbit in her Facebook album, and used those as reference for my coloring.

For the design, I decided to CASE myself this time, with this Easter card that I'd made in 2014. I used the same image from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps, and, as in the original card, flipped it horizontally. I sized the image in Photoshop, and added the "Happy Birthday" with the type tool, along an oval path I drew. I printed that onto a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, then cut it with a Spellbinders "Classic Ovals LG" die. I colored the rabbit, flower, & grass with my Inktense pencils.

For the blue halo around the rabbit, I used a technique I learned in Online Card Classes' current offering: "Watercolor for Card Makers: Exploring Mediums." I scribbled a blue marker onto an acrylic block, then watered it down with plain water. I applied water around my image, then added the watered-down marker color, just enough to give it a glow.

For the large oval, I used one of the "Gold Ovals One" dies by Spellbinders to emboss a piece of watercolor paper, and cut it with the smallest of Spellbinders' "Grand Ovals." I used another technique I learned in the "Watercolor for Cardmakers: Exploring Mediums" class. I watered down some Mermaid Lagoon Distress ink, and painted it on my die cut oval. I dried that with my heat tool, then layered on more "watercolor." When it looked like I wanted, I dried it with my heat tool again, then glued my focal oval in the center.

I used a piece of brown polka-dotted patterned paper for the strip behind my focal panel. I matted it with blue, then adhered it to a piece of cream cardstock. I rounded the corners of the cream with my 3/8" Corner Chomper. I matted that with more blue, and rounded those corners as well. To mount the focal panel, I cut an oval from craft foam, slightly smaller than my watercolor paper. I adhered the oval to my background, using double-sided tape to sandwich the foam piece in between the oval and my background. Finally, I mounted my card front to a white A2 card base, on which I'd already rounded the corners.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Doodle Pantry's Ants in My Pantry Digital Challenge #9: "Anything Goes"
Fab 'n' Funky Challenge #274: "Cute Critters"
Through the Craftroom Door: "Anything Goes"

Happy Haunting!

Yes, it's yet another Halloween card for Send a Smile 4 Kids. I was finally able to use up the last black cat sticker on the Recollections sticker sheet I got last fall at Michael's, too! :) I used Splitcoaststampers' Sketch SC556 for my design:

I began by stamping my main image, from a Hampton Art clear stamp set (name unknown), onto a piece of Strathmore Bristol paper, using Versafine Onyx Black ink. I clear heat embossed that, then masked it with masking fluid. I also added some drops of masking fluid in the sky, to preserve the white of the paper for stars. Once that had dried, I blended Dusty Concord & Chipped Sapphire Distress inks over the sky, using some Scattered Straw Distress ink for a moon behind the owl. When I had finished inking, I sprinkled some water droplets over the background, and picked the water up with a paper towel, which brought some of the ink with it. Then I removed the masking and colored the image  in with my Zig Clean Color markers, using a damp brush to pull the color out and add highlights. I glued the cat sticker down with Ranger Multi Medium Matte, to make sure it will not come off. Originally, I wasn't going to add googly eyes to the owl, but I messed up the coloring with one eye, so I did add them to cover up my oops. I think it does up the cute factor, though! :)

For the background, I used 2 patterned papers from Jillibean Soup's "Owloween Stew" 6x6" pad. I cut them to size, and adhered them to a piece of black paper, leaving a 1/16" mat on all sides. I felt the seam between the 2 papers was a bit awkward, though, so I trimmed a 1/8" strip of purple cardstock, and glued that on top. After matting the focal panel with black, I adhered that to the background.

I heat embossed the greeting (from a different Hampton Art set) on a piece of white cardstock, using Wow White Pearl embossing powder. I die cut it with a Spellbinders "Classic Ovals LG" die, and inked it with Chipped Sapphire. Finally, I glued it in place on the card front.

I added some small drops of Onyx Pearl Liquid Pearls above and below the focal panel, next to the purple strip, and when that had dried, I adhered the completed card front to a white A2 card base.

Winnie & Bosko

I have two more Halloween cards to share that I made for Send a Smile 4 Kids. I kind of think I may have gone a little overboard with fall/Halloween cards for them this year, but I think that's OK!

My first card uses the "Winnie" witch digital image by Jane's Doodles (discontinued). I printed her on a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper, and colored her with Inktense pencils and a damp paintbrush. I used Broken China and Peeled Paint Distress inks in a watercolor fashion for the background.

I used patterned papers from Jillibean Soup's "Owloween Stew" (stripe) & Echo Park's "The Story of Our Fall" (pumpkins). I cut them to size, and inked the edges with Vintage Photo Distress ink, just to provide a little more definition. I adhered them to a piece of purple cardstock that I'd cut to 4.25x5.5". After adhering my focal panel in place, I cut 2 banners from green & tan cardstocks, and glued them behind a circle I'd cut from the same purple cardstock. I used a brad from Recollections in the center of the circle, then glued that to the card front.

For the buttons, I cut one of the "Buttons" dies by Impression Obsession three times from green cardstock. I threaded them with a rust-colored embroidery floss, then glued them in place. Finally, I mounted the card front to a white A2 card base.

Jane's Doodles' "Bosko" (also discontinued) is the star of my second card. My mom absolutely loves this image, and I do too! :) I cut a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper with Lawn Fawn's "Stitched Journaling Card" die, then printed Bosko on that piece, making sure the spider's line extended all the way to the stitching line. I colored him with Inktense pencils, to look kind of like our youngest cat, Barney. I painted the background with Broken China & Peeled Paint, and inked around the edges with Salty Ocean Distress ink.

I cut a strip of the same pumpkin patterned paper I'd used in my first card, and adhered it to a piece of blue cardstock. I adhered my focal panel over that. I die cut another piece of patterned paper from "The Story of Our Fall" with a Lifestyle Crafts "Nesting Scallops" die. I threaded a green button with rust-colored embroidery floss, and tied a bow. Then I glued that to the die cut circle, and glued that down to the card front. All that was left was to mount it to a white A2 card base, & I have 2 more cute cards for SAS4Kids!

Jingle All the Way

Our Daily Bread Designs' challenge theme this past week has been a sketch challenge. They posted the following sketch, and participants are to make a card inspired by it:

I got the "Let It Snow" stamp set from ODBD some time ago, and had yet to get it inky--until now. The sled actually turned out to be harder to color than I had anticipated, since it is such a detailed image. But I persevered, and I like the way it came out.

I stamped the sled on a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper with Ranger Archival Jet Black ink. I heat set it to make sure the ink was dry, then colored it with my Inktense pencils, using a damp paintbrush to blend & shade the colors. After it dried, I die cut it with the smallest of Spellbinders' "Grand Ovals" dies. I also die cut a mat from burgundy cardstock with the smallest of the "Grand Scalloped Ovals" dies by Spellbinders.

For the greeting, I used one from the same stamp set. I stamped it on watercolor paper, so the white of the paper would match my image, then die cut it with a "Nesting Scallops" die by Lifestyle Crafts. I die cut a burgundy mat with the next larger die. I glued the image & greeting to their respective mats with liquid glue, then set those aside to dry.

I chose 2 patterned papers from Graphic 45's "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" 8x8" pad for my background and layer. I had decided, to make the (somewhat large) image work with the sketch, to make an A9 (5.5x8.5") card. I cut my background paper to 5x8", and the plaid to 2.75x4.5". I matted the plaid with dark green cardstock, and trimmed it to leave a 1/16" border.

For the circle element behind the focal panel, I decided to use a doily I had in my stash. Because I didn't want it white, I decided to color it. First, I ran it through my Xyron Creative Station, to apply adhesive to the back. After a couple of attempts to color it with spray ink (neither worked to my satisfaction), I finally colored it gold with the Brilliance Galaxy Gold dewdrop ink pad by Tsukineko. Because that is a pigment ink, I heat set it to dry it faster. Finally, I carefully peeled the doily off the release paper, and adhered it in place on the background. I next adhered my plaid panel, laying down the focal & greeting pieces to make sure it was properly placed. I glued my focal & greeting panels on top with liquid glue, and set that under a book for a few minutes to dry.

Once the glue had set up enough, I matted the main panel with more burgundy cardstock, then matted that with cream. I mounted it to a white card base, and it was done!

I'm also entering this in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Love this Technique" (watercoloring with Inktense pencils)
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Die Crazy"

Sending You Blessings

Merry Monday Christmas Challenge Blog's current theme is "Sentiment in the Spotlight." I decided to create one more card for their challenge.

It took me a few minutes to figure out how to do the double die cut inlay I wanted to do. I started by die cutting a circle in my patterned paper (from my scrap stash), using a Spellbinders "Standard Circles SM" die. I also die cut a circle with the same die from some dark green cardstock. I cut a piece of white cardstock to 4x5.25", the same size as my patterned paper, and ran it through my Xyron Creative Station to apply adhesive to one side. Then I adhered that to the back of my patterned paper, and positioned my green circle in the window.

For the stamped portion of my greeting, I used two stamps from the "Holiday Sentiments" set by Clearly Besotted. I placed my panel in my MISTI, and roughly positioned my stamps. After picking them up with the door of the MISTI, I curved them, frequently checking to see if the curve basically matched the circle. I did try using the die to curve them, but that turned out to be more difficult than just eye-balling it. Finally, I stamped them with Versamark ink, and heat embossed with Ranger Gold embossing powder, to complement the gold in the patterned paper.

I then took the "blessings" die from Simon Says Stamp's "Christmas Blessings," and die cut it from the panel. I also die cut it from some red shimmer paper. I cut a piece of scrap white cardstock, large enough to fit behind the die cut opening in my panel. Just in case any of that piece peeked through, I inked it with Barn Door Distress ink. After the ink dried, I applied a lot of adhesive with my ATG gun, and adhered it behind the opening in my panel. I carefully inlaid the red "blessings" die cut, and then placed the negative pieces in the letters from die cutting the panel. To finish the card, I adhered the panel to a piece of burgundy cardstock, then mounted that to a white A2 card base.

I'm also entering my card in the following challenges;

Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Love this Technique" (die cut inlay)
Live Love Cards' September Challenge: "Shimmer & Shine"
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Die Crazy"

Boo! To You

Yes, it's another Halloween card for Send a Smile 4 Kids. And yes, it has more of those Recollections Halloween cat stickers I'm trying to use up. I just can't help myself! :)

I based the design of my card on Operation Write Home's Sketch #199:

I pretty much ignored the measurements of the squares in the sketch. Instead, I made cut-out windows sized to fit my cats.

I chose my background paper from Jillibean Soup's "Owloween Stew" 6x6" pad. Because it is such a bold pattern, I decided to "whitewash" it with a few layers of Picket Fence Distress stain, to mute the colors a bit. Once I did that, I let it air dry completely. I measured my cats, and marked where the openings in the panel should go. Then I cut those with my craft knife. I applied foam tape liberally to the back of my patterned paper panel, and adhered it to a piece of purple cardstock. Then I applied Ranger Multi Medium Matte to the back of my stickers, to make sure they would stay put, and glued them in place.

For the greeting, I chose one from a set by Hampton Art (name unknown). I heat embossed it with Ranger Super Fine Detail White embossing powder on a scrap of lighter purple cardstock. I trimmed the strip down to the same height as the windows, and gave the left side a shallow V-shaped banner end. Finally, I adhered it to the lower right of my patterned paper panel, opposite the bottom window opening.

I mounted the card front to a white A2 card base, then added some sequins by Doodlebug Design. As a finishing touch, I applied dots of purple Stickles to the centers of the sequins.

I'm entering this card in Live Love Cards' September challenge: "Sparkle & Shine."

Hope, Joy, Love

The theme for Merry Monday Christmas Challenge Blog's Challenge #171 is "Sentiment in the Spotlight." I created this card with that in mind.

I started by embossing a 4x5.25" panel of white cardstock with the "Snowflake Swirl" embossing folder by Darice. I also die cut the hope, joy, & love words from a matte silver cardstock, using the "Seasonal Sentiments" dies by WPlus9. I punched the snowflakes using an old EK Success punch, and glued them to the center of the "o" in each word.

I cut a piece of vellum to 4x5.25". To determine placement of my stamped greeting portion, after placing the vellum in my MISTI, I laid the die cut words on it and positioned my stamps, from WPlus9's "Pretty Patches: Christmas" set. I picked them up with the door of my MISTI, and stamped them on the vellum using Ranger Archival Watering Can ink. This was actually my second attempt at this panel. The first time I embossed the stamped words with Ranger Silver embossing powder. But the embossing apparently chipped off in a few places, for some unknown-to-me reason. So I decided on the second try just to stamp with the Watering Can ink. It gives it a subtle look that goes with the rest of the card, but is still legible (at least in real life!). I layered the vellum over the embossed cardstock panel, taped it in place on 2 sides temporarily, then stitched around the panel with my sewing machine & some silver thread. (I did remove the tape when I stitched those 2 sides.)

To complete the card, I ran my die cut words through my Xyron Sticker Maker, and adhered them in place on the vellum. Then I cut a piece of craft (fun) foam to slightly smaller than the panel, and adhered it to the back with double-sided tape. I then mounted my panel on a white A2 card base. This will go in my stash of holiday cards to send out this year.

I'm also entering this card in Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday challenge: "Die Crazy."

You Rock!

Catch the Bug Challenge Blog is having a "Teens Rock" challenge this week. (Actually, only for a few more hours!) I created this card for their challenge, to send to Send a Smile 4 Kids.

I started by choosing my design, based on Operation Write Home's Sketch #160:

I formatted the "Kidz - Sitter Music" image from Bugaboo Stamps to fit the focal panel, with the boy's legs hanging off the bottom edge. I printed that on a piece of Strathmore Mixed Media Paper, and also on a piece of grey cardstock that I'd cut to 3x4.25". After coloring the image with my Inktense pencils, I fussy cut around the boy's legs and along the base where he is sitting. I then mounted that on my grey cardstock, lining up the legs & feet with the printout on the grey. Printing the image on the grey mat allowed me to keep the shoelaces visible, without having to fussy cut around them.

For the background, I used 4 patterned papers from Kaisercraft's "Technologic" 6.5x.6.5" pad. I cut each to 4x1", as indicated in the sketch. For the fifth strip, I used plain teal cardstock. I marked where the focal panel would overlap the teal. I stamped the "You Rock!" greeting from the Essentials by Ellen "12 Days Companion Greetings" set on the teal, centered from side to side, in Versafine Onyx Black ink. I stamped the greeting several more times around that first stamping, this time using Hero Arts Charcoal ink. Finally, I adhered that strip, and mounted the focal panel to the card front. Then I adhered the card front to a white A2 card base. Hopefully a teenage boy who is hospitalized will get a kick out of being told that he rocks!

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

Southern Girls "Layer It Up"
Through the Craft Room Door "Anything Goes"
Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Love This Technique" (watercoloring with Inktense pencils)

Cozy Christmas

Hero Arts' Makeover Challenge is still going on through this Sunday (9/20/2015). I created this card for my final entry. My inspiration came from this card, that I had made last year for Operation Write Home:

I began by stamping Hero Arts' "Dotted Snowflake" with Versamark ink on a piece of dark red cardstock. I heat embossed it with Ranger Gold Embossing Tinsel, and fussy cut it out.

Detail of gold embossing

I wanted to keep the background simple, but not boring. So I cut a piece of kraft cardstock to 4.25x5.5", and spritzed it a few times with Dylusions White Linen mist.

For the greeting, I stamped one from Hero Arts' "Merry Christmas Message" set on a piece of vellum, using Versafine Onyx Black ink, and clear heat embossed it. I then trimmed that into a strip.

To assemble the card, I first decided where to place my gold cardstock strips, then glued them down. I glued the snowflake over those. I folded the ends of my greeting strip around the back of the panel, and adhered them in place. I also added a few tiny drops of glue behind the greeting, and tucked the vellum behind the snowflake a bit, just to help anchor the strip. Finally, I mounted the completed card front to a white A2 card base, and rounded the top corners with my 1/2" Corner Chomper.

I'm also entering this card in Live Love Cards' September Challenge: "Sparkle & Shine."

Happy Birthday Shaker

One of my mother's assistants at work had a birthday today. They are celebrating tomorrow, however, because apparently no one remembered to bring anything! So this afternoon I made this card for her.

I'm also entering this card in Hero Arts' Makeover Challenge. I was inspired by this card, which I made last year:

I used the same balloon stamp with a tag, from Hero Arts' "Happy Birthday" set (now discontinued), but made it a shaker card instead.

I began by stamping the balloon on a piece of Strathmore Bristol paper in Ranger Archival Jet Black ink. After zapping it with my heat tool to make sure the ink was dry, I colored it with my Zig Clean Color markers. Because this would be behind all the shaker material, I didn't bother doing any fancy shading; just plain coloring. After cutting around the image, I set that aside.

I cut a tag from a piece of blue cardstock, and stamped my balloon image on that to use as a guide. Then I used my craft knife--ever so carefully--to cut the balloon shape from the tag. I adhered a piece of acetate to the back, and then applied 2 layers of foam tape, to give the shaker material room to move. That's when it got difficult.

Initially, I placed the sequins (6mm & 4mm Sparkling Clear by Pretty Pink Posh) & clear seed beads inside the window area on the tag. I realized--thankfully, before I adhered anything--that I would not be able to line up the balloon image very well with that arrangement. At least, not without X-ray vision, since the image would be face down! So I carefully poured the sequins & beads out, and piled them onto the balloon image, which would serve as my backer piece. Then I removed the release papers from the foam tape pieces, and carefully adhered it over the balloon. It worked--whew! :)

I cut the background panel with the scalloped rectangle from Mama Elephant's "Femme Frames" die set. (This set is no longer available by itself, but is included in this die set.) Then I adhered the tag to it.

For the greeting, I used the banner die from Lawn Fawn's "Stitched Journaling Card" set, with some partial die cutting. I cut the banner once from white cardstock, but didn't cut all the way to the straight end. Then I flipped the die around, lining up the top and bottom cutting lines with the cut lines in my cardstock, and ran it through once more, again without cutting the end. This gave me a longer banner, with the notched part at each end. I stamped the "Happy Birthday" from the same Hero Arts set in Versamark ink, then heat embossed it with Ranger Super Fine Detail White embossing powder. I inked over that with Blueprint Sketch Distress ink. I added 2 layers of foam tape to the lower part of the back, where it would overhang the tag, and glue to the part that would sit directly on the tag. Then I adhered it to the card.

To finish the card up, I inked around the edges of a piece of white cardstock, cut to 4.25x5.5", with Blueprint Sketch. After that dried, I adhered my panel to that, and mounted the completed card front to a white A2 card base.

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

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "Die Crazy"
A Blog Named Hero's "A Happy Challenge"
a2z Scrapbooking's September Challenge: "Shake It Up"

Happy Birdday

Hero Arts is having a Makeover Challenge, to celebrate their website makeover. I created my card (based on an old one of mine) to send to a friend for her birthday.

Original inspiration card

For my made-over card, I used Hero Arts' "Missing You" stamp set. I stamped the bird 3 times on Strathmore Bristol paper, using Ranger Archival Jet Black ink. I colored them with my Zig Clean Color markers, using a damp paintbrush to pull the color out to create some basic shading. After they had dried, I fussy cut them out, and "painted" the edges with a black brush-tip marker to camouflage the white edge of the paper and make it blend in with the black stamped lines.

To create the background, I used the "Flag Pattern" stencil by Hero Arts. I taped it to a piece of white cardstock I'd cut to 3.75x5.5", and blended Distress inks in Squeezed Lemonade, Twisted Citron, Mermaid Lagoon, and Abandoned Coral to create a gradient of color. I wanted this panel to pop up off the card, so I cut a piece of 2mm-thick craft foam just smaller than the background, and adhered it with double-sided adhesive. I cut a 1/2" wide strip of a coral-colored paper, and adhered it to my white A2 card base. Then I adhered my background panel over that, so about 1/4" of the coral peeked out from underneath.

I needed something to stamp the legs of my birds on, since I'd had to cut them off when I fussy cut the bodies. (I swear, the birds did not scream! LOL) But I didn't want to cover my pretty inked background. So I cut a piece of vellum to 4" wide, and die cut the bottom edge with one of the "Stitched Borders 3" dies from Pretty Pink Posh. I trimmed off the other long edge to the height I needed, and stamped the bottom of the bird 3 times across the top, again using Archival Jet Black ink. I heat set that so it wouldn't smear. I applied liquid glue to the back of the vellum, just behind where the birds would go, and glued it to the background. Then I glued my birds in place on top of the vellum.

I stamped my greeting, from the same stamp set, on white cardstock, and die cut it with one of the "Stitched Tags" dies, also by Pretty Pink Posh. I cut off the one side, just along the stitching lines, and inked the other edges with Abandoned Coral. I then adhered it to the top of the card front.

To add a little something-something to my card, I scattered some 4mm & 6mm Sparkling Clear sequins by Pretty Pink Posh across the upper part of the background panel. I also added them to the scallops along the bottom of the vellum, both for prettiness and to give me another place to hide some glue to adhere the vellum to the background. Gotta love pretty + practical! :) Finally, I added a coat of Glossy Accents to the birds' eyes, and that completed this card. Hopefully our friend will get a kick out of it!

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

Live Love Cards' September Challenge: "Sparkle & Shine"
Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Love this Technique" (used ink blending, one of my favorite techniques)
A Blog Named Hero's "A Happy Challenge"

Reindeer Joy

This month's "Mix It Up" challenge at Ellen Hutson's blog is to combine one or more products from the Essentials by Ellen line with one or more by Impression Obsession. I used the "Bokeh Dots" stamp set from Essentials by Ellen with Impression Obsession's "Reindeer" die.

I began by cutting a piece of burgundy cardstock to 4x5.25", & die cut the reindeer from that. For the panel to go behind the reindeer, I used a lesson by Kristina Werner from Online Card Classes' "Pattern Play" class. On a piece of scratch cardstock, I marked the center line, then drew a diagonal line on either side, at a 45 degree angle to the center. Then I glued down 3/8" wide strips of patterned paper (from my scrap stash), starting along those diagonal lines, working my way up the cardstock piece, creating something like a herringbone pattern. Finally, I trimmed the excess paper that was hanging over the edges.

Detail of gold embossing

Before adhering my main panel to the patterned paper piece, I masked off an area for the greeting, and stamped one of the scribbly rings from "Bokeh Dots" several times on the burgundy panel. I then heat embossed my stamping with Ranger's Gold embossing powder. For the lines above and below the greeting, I used a ruler and my Versamarker to put down two lines of ink, then heat embossed those with gold as well.

For the greeting, I heat embossed another scrap of cardstock, by smooshing Versamark ink onto the cardstock, sprinkling on my powder, and heating it until it melted. I did this a total of 3 times, to get as smooth a surface as possible. I then die cut the greeting, using Lawn Fawn's "Scripty Joy" die. I ran that through my Xyron Sticker Maker, and adhered it in place. (I used my 2-way glue pen to glue down the dot for the "j.")

I used the same procedure for the gold mat as for the greeting, but only did the embossing once this time. I figured, since the reindeer was leaping towards the right side of the card, I'd position my burgundy panel in the lower left corner, with the mat to the top and right. This would give the reindeer visual room to "move."

To assemble the card, I ran my burgundy panel through my Xyron Creative Station. (This is basically a larger version of the Sticker Maker.) I adhered the patterned paper panel behind the reindeer cut out, and mounted the whole thing to my mat. The dry adhesive wouldn't stick very well to the heat embossed areas on the mat, though, so I ended up running a line of Ranger Multi Medium Matte along the right & top sides on the back of the burgundy, and putting the whole thing under a couple of books until the glue dried. Finally, I adhered my completed card front to a white A2 card base.

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

Live Love Cards September Challenge: "Sparkle & Shine"
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "STAMPtember Use a Stamp & Bloghop"

Two More Halloween Cards

I have been trying to use up a sheet of black cat & jack-o'-lantern stickers by Recollections I got on sale last year. These 2 cards, which I made for Send a Smile 4 Kids, got me even closer to that goal! :)

I got the inspiration for my first card from the "Boo" card in this post, that I'd found through Pinterest. (I also used that as the basis for the second card in this post.) It's a great design for using up scraps. I used patterned papers from the "Owloween Stew" 6x6" paper pad by Jillibean Soup, and Recollections' "Witch's Dust Halloween" collection. One of the requirements for SAS4Kids regarding Halloween cards is no creepiness (e.g. skulls, etc.). The right-most paper in this card actually has a skull in the pattern. But I was able to trim it so only part of the skull shows, which is partly covered by the focal panel, and is thus unrecognizable as a skull. One good way to turn down the scary factor!

Once I had cut and matted my patterned paper strips with black paper, I mounted them to a piece of purple cardstock I'd cut to 4.25x5.5". For the focal panel, I cut a piece of green cardstock and matted it with more black. I stamped the greeting, from a Hampton Art stamp set (name unknown), in the center with Versamark ink. I then heat embossed it with Stampendous Marcasite embossing powder. This is basically a black powder, but has lots of little sparkles in it. Really pretty when it catches the light! I used 2 of the cats from the sticker sheet, gluing them with Ranger Multi Medium Matte on each side of the greeting. Finally, I mounted the focal panel to the card front, and adhered that to a white A2 card base.

My second card is based on Operation Write Home's Sketch #199:

I flipped the sketch 90 degrees, and used the "Stitched Filmstrip" die by Pretty Pink Posh in place of the squares.

I cut a piece of patterned paper from "Owloween Soup" to 4x5.25" for the background. This is one of those busy patterns that can be hard to use in large portions, but doesn't lend itself well to being cut into small pieces either. But I felt the "Stitched Filmstrip" die cut gave enough relatively solid space to make it work.

I cut the filmstrip from purple cardstock, and inked all the edges with Dusty Concord Distress ink, to give them a bit more definition. I then backed it with a piece of green cardstock, that I cut a hair smaller than the die cut. I stamped the "BOO," using Lawn Fawn's "Riley's ABC's," in the center panel, and heat embossed it with Zing White embossing powder. I glued a jack-o'-lantern in each of the other sections, and glued on the googly eyes with Multi Medium Matte. After adhering that to my background paper, I matted the whole panel with black, and mounted it to a white A2 card base.

I'm entering my first card in Live Love Cards' September challenge: "Sparkle & Shine." (sparkly heat embossing)

I'm entering my second card in Send a Smile 4 Kids' "Cute Fall or Halloween 4 Kids" challenge.

Sending Prayers & Love

Hero Arts is having a "Makeover" challenge on their blog. Participants are to take a project that they had made previously, and make a new one based on that.

My inspiration for this card came from this one that I made some time ago, based on a tutorial by Sandy Allnock:

For my makeover card, I used the same Hero Arts stamp set, but left out the largest butterfly, since it wouldn't fit on the heart. I began by die cutting a heart from 140 lb. watercolor paper, using one of the Little B "Hearts" dies. This set is different, in that it has 4 "sub-sets" of dies. Each of these sub-sets has a smaller die that cuts, one slightly larger that just embosses little x's in your paper, and then the largest one that die cuts just outside the embossing. I used the smaller one in the next to largest of these sub-sets to die cut my focal heart, and then all 3 of those dies to cut the frame.

Once I'd finished my die cutting, I stamped the 2 smaller butterflies on the heart, using Versafine Onyx Black ink, and heat embossed them with Recollections Clear Detail embossing powder. I used 2 of my Winsor & Newton Cotman tube watercolors to color the heart. I wet the heart with clean water first, then dropped in the colors and let them blend together. Finally, I sprayed it liberally with my homemade Perfect Pearls mist, and used my heat tool to dry that. I could have let it air dry, but I'm just impatient that way! :)

When my heart was dry, I laid it and the frame on a white, top-folding A2 card base. I decided to place my greeting, from Simon Says Stamp's "Sending Happy Thoughts" stamp set, on the lower left. So I stamped that on the card base with Versafine, and clear heat embossed that. It looked rather heavy on that side, though, so I ended up stamping the smallest butterfly on the other side, and clear heat embossed that as well. Finally, I adhered the heart and frame in place.

I wanted the bottom edge to be a bit fancy, so I die cut it with one of the "Stitched Borders 3" dies by Pretty Pink Posh. Then I backed the cut-away portion with a piece of patterned cardstock by Momenta. And that finished this card.

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

Simon Says Stamp's Monday "Stamp & Punch/Die Cut"
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday "STAMPtember Use a Stamp Challenge & Blog Hop"

Got Candy?

a2z Scrapbooking's September challenge theme is "Shake It Up." I decided to make a shaker card to send to Send a Smile 4 Kids, based on one of these cards I found through Pinterest.

I cut a piece of scrap cardstock to 4.25x5.5", and drew a triangle shape on that, making sure to round the 3 corners, and cut that out to use as my template. I traced that onto a piece of Strathmore Bristol paper, and cut out my card front. I then cut 3 windows in the panel. To color it, I used Distress inks in Spiced Marmalade for the bottom, and Mustard Seed for the middle, leaving the top white. I did the same blending on another piece of bristol that I'd cut for the backer piece.

Once I blended the inks, I backed the window piece with acetate, cutting that to be slightly smaller than the panel. I die cut the letters to spell out the greeting, using Hero Arts' "Alphabet Uppercase" dies. I ran them through my Xyron Sticker Maker to apply adhesive to the backs, then adhered them to the front of the window panel, making sure to burnish them so they would stick securely.

I added 2 layers of foam tape to the back of my card front panel, to give my shaker guts plenty of room to move. For the shaker material, I used orange, yellow, and white sequins from Doodlebug Design; and orange, yellow, and clear seed beads. I added each color of those to the appropriate section, and adhered the bristol backer piece. Finally, I mounted that to a top-folding card base that I'd created using my template. My mom and a couple of friends got a big kick out of this card, to the point that they almost couldn't stop shaking it! :) Hopefully it will bring a lift to a hospitalized child's spirits!

I'm also entering this card in Send a Smile 4 Kids "Cute Fall or Halloween 4 Kids" challenge.

Fall Mouse

I've been working on Halloween cards for Send a Smile 4 Kids, and decided to take a break and make just a general "fall" card. I found this cute image of the mouse and pumpkin in a Hampton Art stamp set (name unknown), and wanted to try no-line coloring with it. I haven't really done much with that technique, but saw it recently in a YouTube video, and decided to give it another go! I used Operation Write Home's Sketch #206 for my design:

I began by stamping the image on a piece of Strathmore Bristol paper with Antique Linen Distress ink. This gave me a faint image, which would blend in with my colors while still giving me an outline to follow. I then colored that in with my Zig Clean Color markers. I added a bit of green grass under the pumpkin and mouse, just to help ground them, then die cut it with a Spellbinders "Standard Circles SM" die.

For the greeting panel, I stamped the "FALL" (from a different Hampton Art set) repeatedly on a piece of yellow cardstock, using Versamark ink. Then I heat embossed that with Recollections Clear Detail embossing powder. I was glad to have my MISTI tool, as that made lining up the words sooo much easier!

I used the "Geometric Rings" Cuttlebug embossing folder to emboss a piece of green cardstock for the background. I decided to leave off the "middle" background layer, so I made my embossed panel 4x5.25". I matted that with a piece of kraft cardstock cut to the standard A2 size of 4.25x5.5".

I matted the greeting panel with another piece of green cardstock. Again, I left out the middle layer. To give the appearance of another layer, and help the green mat stand out more from the background, I inked around the edges with Forest Moss Distress ink.

Finally it was time to assemble the card. I'd die cut another circle from kraft cardstock with a larger "Standard Circles SM" die. I layered that behind the greeting, and glued my focal piece on top of that. Finally, I adhered all that to my background panel, and mounted the completed card front to a white A2 card base.

Boo Times Two

I have two more Halloween cards I made for Send a Smile 4 Kids. The first one is VERY CAS. I got the idea from the "boo" tag in this post I found through Pinterest. I started by die cutting a tag using one of the "Tags a Lot" dies by Mama Elephant. I scanned that into my computer so that I could get my greeting sized correctly, and opened the image in Photoshop. I created two 1" black circles, and positioned them for the o's, so they would fit the 3/4" googly eyes I had perfectly. Then I typed the "B," and sized and positioned it to complete the word. Finally, I printed the "Boo" on the tag.

I die cut the little tag reinforcer from black paper, using another die from "Tags a Lot." I glued it in place with my 2-way glue pen, and pierced a hole for the brad from Recollections. I used some Ranger Multi Medium Matte to glue the eyes on, and set that aside to dry.

For the background, I die cut a piece of grey cardstock with the largest of Lawn Fawn's "Large Stitched Rectangle" dies. I taped it to my non-stick craft sheet with low-tack painter's tape, masking off the edges around the stitching. I used the "Dot Fade" stencil by Tim Holtz and Black Soot Distress ink on my mini ink blending tool to create the pattern on the background. Because the stencil was narrower than my panel, after I inked the first portion, I flipped it around, lined it up with the bottom row of dots, and inked the rest of the panel. To finish the card, I adhered the tag to the card front, then mounted that on a white A2 card base.

I got the idea for my second card from the "Boo" card on this post, also found through Pinterest. I decided not to go so "cutesy" with this one. I can see it being appropriate for a teenager.

I cut 5 strips from scraps of patterned paper from the Recollections "Witch's Dust Halloween" collection, and the "Owloween Stew" 6x6" pad by Jillibean Soup (the spiderweb pattern). I matted them with black, and cut the mats down to leave a 1/16" border all around each strip.

For the greeting panel, I cut a piece of textured orange cardstock. I printed my greeting, which I'd done in Photoshop, on that, and matted it with black. I pierced a hole in each corner, and inserted brads from Recollections, but didn't bend back the prongs yet. I took some black embroidery floss, threaded one end down through the upper left hole, and taped it to the back of the panel. I wrapped the floss around the brad in that corner, then took it across to the upper right brad, wrapped that, and continued until I'd gone all around the panel. Finally, I cut the floss, threaded the other end through the same hole as the first, and taped that to the back. Then I spread the brad prongs to attach them completely.

I adhered all the patterned paper strips to a piece of kraft cardstock I'd cut to 4.25x5.5", and adhered the greeting panel over those. I mounted the card front to a white A2 card base, and this card was done.

I'm entering my first card in Send a Smile 4 Kids' "Cute Fall or Halloween 4 Kids" challenge.

Send a Smile 4 Kids Encouragement Cards

I have a baggie on my scrap desk full of leftover pieces from other projects. The other day, I decided to pull out a couple of those pieces and make 2 cards for Send a Smile 4 Kids. I used the same sketch, and just changed the elements & colors to make one a masculine card and the other feminine.

I used Operation Write Home's Sketch #230 for both cards:

Since I had stars, I substituted those for the large circle, and chose not to do a layer under the smaller circle, since the stamps I was using were larger than 1.5" already, and I didn't have room for an additional layer.

I had made some foiled stars several weeks ago, when I first saw Jennifer McGuire demonstrating foiling with a laminator. This gold one had never made it onto a project, though. I also had the blue star-patterned one left over from this card. So I glued the smaller blue one on the foiled star, and used that for my main element. I cut a strip of patterned paper from Graphic45's "Good ol' Sport" 6x6" pad to 2.25x5". I also embossed a panel of kraft cardstock with the "A2 Tiny Stars" embossing folder by The Paper Studio.

For the greeting, I chose one from Simon Says Stamp's "Blocked Greetings" set. I stamped it with Hero Arts Green Hills ink on a piece of tan cardstock. I had to stamp it 3 times to get a solid coverage, so I was glad to have my MISTI! I cut around the greeting, leaving a narrow border, and inked the edges with Tea Dye Distress ink. I also highlighted the letters with a white gel pen.

To assemble the card, I adhered the patterned paper strip to the kraft cardstock panel. I glued the star down, and popped the greeting up with foam tape. To echo the blue in the smaller star, I matted the panel with blue cardstock. I trimmed off the overhanging part of the layered star, and mounted the finished card front to a white A2 card base.

I got the inspiration for the greeting on my second card from this card by Sarah Moerman. I used Simon Says Stamp's "All Boy" stamp set. I stamped the shoes on a scrap of Strathmore Mixed Media Paper, with Ranger Archival Watering Can ink. I colored them with Inktense pencils in Cherry & Neutral Grey, and used a damp paintbrush to blend out the colors and add highlighting. After I finished the coloring, I went over the shoelace eyelets with a white gel pen, to clean them up a little, and went over the pink areas with my clear Wink of Stella pen. Finally, I put the paper back in my MISTI, and overstamped the image, to redefine the outlines. Then I die cut it with a Lifestyle Crafts "Nesting Scallops" die.

For the greeting, I used the "dude" stamp from "All Boy," as Sarah had done. I began by stamping the final "e" on another piece of Mixed Media Paper, then penciled in the two t's. Finally I stamped the "Dude" part. I started the stamping with the "e" by using Watering Can ink, but decided that was too light. So I ended up tracing over that with a black fine point pen, and stamped "dude" with Versafine Onyx Black ink. I traced over the two t's with the same black pen, then colored the letters in with a Cherry Inktense pencil, blending the color with my paintbrush. Underneath that I stamped the "You're a Winner" greeting from the same set, and then stamped the star-and-dot border, also from "All Boy," using Versafine for both. I inked over the panel with a little Hickory Smoke Distress ink, to "grunge" it up a bit.

I made my pink background panel 4x5.5". I needed the extra length (as opposed to having the mat at each side) to fit the "dudette" beside the large star element. I adhered my stamped panel to the background, then glued down the star and scalloped circle. I adhered two 1/2" wide black strips to the front of my white A2 card base, and mounted the front panel on top. And that finished this card!

I'm entering my first card in Virginia's View Challenge #18: "Geometric."