Floral Happy Birthday

This is my second - & (sadly) final - guest design post for the Double Trouble Challenge blog. Before I go on, I really want to thank them for inviting me to do this. It's been a blast! They celebrate their 8th anniversary on May 25th with a raffle challenge. You can create a project (or more than one!) in any of the following four categories:

• Anniversary or Wedding (yellow ticket)
• Father's Day or Masculine (blue ticket)
• Birthday (pink ticket)
• Graduation (green ticket)

So pick your ticket color & go to town!

 

Obviously, I went with the Birthday/pink ticket option for my card. May 25th is also National Brown Bag It Day, so Thing 3's optional twist for this challenge is to use Kraft or Kraft-like elements on your project. I have not done pencil coloring on kraft cardstock for a hot minute, so I decided to do that for my card. And of course, I used the sketch from Double Trouble's sister challenge, Try a Sketch on Tuesday's Challenge #696 for my design. ***Keep in mind, if you want to enter TSOT's challenge, that does not start until May 26th. So while Thing 2 gives you a preview of the sketch, do not post or publish your project before Tuesday, so you don't risk backlinking. 

When I saw the sketch, I immediately thought of four (discontinued) digital images from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (now Creative Worship) in my collection: "Magnolia Block," "Lily Block," "Daffodil Block," & "Tulip Block." I thought they would go perfectly with the grid design in the sketch. So I began my creative process in Photoshop by creating a file with a 4 x 5-1/4" blank canvas. I brought the images in one at a time so each was on its own layer to make positioning them on the canvas easier. I had to adjust the proportions slightly on a couple of them, because they were ever-so-slightly rectangular rather than perfect squares, but thankfully it worked out in the end. Finally, I printed my design onto a panel of kraft cardstock.

 

I colored the tulip first. I had a picture in my mind of a pink tulip with streaks of darker pink coming up from the bottom of the petals. Because I was coloring on a darker cardstock, I did a base layer of a very pale pink over each petal first, adding a pale green for the stem. This allowed the darker colors on subsequent layers to show up better & more true on the kraft cardstock. I have seen this done using a white pencil, but thankfully the pink & green pencils I had were light enough to accomplish the same task. I made sure to maintain a light pressure - enough to get color on the cardstock but not enough to fill in the tooth of the paper too quickly. Once I had established my base layer on a petal, I went on with darker pinks. (I used a darker green to shade the stem.) I basically worked one petal at a time so I wouldn't get "lost," as the pencil colors pretty much obscured the printed image lines. I was tickled pink (pun intended) when I finished, as it looks exactly like I had envisioned it!

 

I went on & colored the lily, magnolia, & daffodil in the same manner. When I finished the daffodil, I felt it looked rather "mushy" (for lack of a better word). I had used a dull pinkish-purple (Prismacolor Clay Rose) for the shading, which has usually worked for me, since it's basically the complement of yellow. I guess because this was on kraft rather than white, though, I didn't get the contrast I wanted with that color. So I tested out some other colors for shading the yellow (I made swatches on the back of my cardstock), & landed on Dark Umber. Brown had never occurred to me before, but dang if it didn't work better than the purple! 😃 After I had colored all the flowers, I chose 2 light blue pencils for the background in each square. I basically colored a wide soft-edged "outline" around each flower with the darker pencil, & then blended that out with the lighter blue. Finally, to re-establish the outline of each square, I went over them with a 70% Warm Grey Prismacolor pencil, using a ruler to guide the pencil.

 

To mat my panel, I chose a pale blue cardstock that I felt went well with the blue background color in each square. Before I added it to my white A2-size card base, I stamped my greeting (from Dare 2B Artzy's "Simply Birthday" set) in the middle of the panel. I tried it first with Versafine Clair Morning Mist pigment ink, but for some reason the cardstock just didn't like that ink. So I cleaned the stamp, repositioned it on my cardstock (still away from the edges), & tried stamping with Weathered Wood Distress Oxide ink. That was too light, so I went over it with Black Soot Distress Oxide ink. Thank heavens for the MISTI stamp positioning tool! Finally, I trimmed the greeting strip out with my craft knife & a metal ruler, & glued that to my kraft panel. (My main panel covered the "hole" from where I had cut the greeting strip, so no one but you & I will ever know.) I adhered my blue mat & kraft panel to my card base, & that wrapped up this project! I am sooooo happy with how this came out, & probably shouldn't wait as long to color on kraft again.

 

I'm also entering this card in Try Stamping On Tuesday's Challenge #696. 

Birthday Blessings

The optional topping theme for Seize the Birthday's Challenge #319 is "Rainbow of Colors." I used this card that I had saved on one of my Pinterest boards as my inspiration. I don't have the exact same die that that creator used for their card, but I do have a few nested hearts die sets. I combined one of the "Nesting Hearts Infinity" dies by Hero Arts with an old My Favorite Things "Snow Drifts" die (discontinued) to create my version.

 

 

 

 

I began by die cutting the heart from Strathmore smooth bristol paper. I taped it from behind in the die cut negative to make handling it easier. I then ink blended with Candied Apple, Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers, & Wilted Violet Distress inks. I had to use finger daubers due to the tight quarters I was ink blending in. I made sure to begin with the yellow, since that color tends to get "eaten up" by surrounding colors when I ink blend. Thankfully I was able to keep that from happening this time. 😊

 

After I finished ink blending, I removed the heart from the negative piece, then used one of the "Snow Drifts" dies to cut it into sections. So that the pieces would line up evenly around the perimeter of the overall shape, I had to die cut a sliver between each pair of sections, rather than just die cut the sections & spread them apart. So each time, I taped the die down & ran it through my die cutting machine. Then I carefully lined the die up on the lower piece of that pair so the "top" edge of the die was a hair away from the cut line, taped it down, & ran it through my machine again. This took about a 1/16" wide slice of the heart out. Not easy, but I succeeded! To give the heart sections a little dimension on the card, I glued each to scraps of heavyweight white cardstock & cut around them with my scissors. I made sure to slightly undercut the white cardstock so that it wouldn't stick out past the edges of each ink blended section. I repeated the process one more time, & called that part done.

 

I paired a "birthday" stamp from Simon Says Stamp's "It's Your Birthday!" set (discontinued) with the "blessings" from "Script Birthdays" (discontinued) by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps (now Creative Worship). I stamped both in Versafine Clair Nocturne ink onto the front of my white A2 card base. Then I proceeded to smear black ink onto said card base, so I ended up restamping the greeting on a white panel.

 

I glued my heart sections to the panel. I began with the bottom-most piece so I could make sure not to cover my greeting with it. I was careful to space them correctly as I worked my way up to the top. The top piece was actually the most difficult to position & get the spacing even, for some reason. Thankfully I had kept the slivers I'd cut out, so I just placed that in between the top & second sections for spacing purposes. Before the glue on the top heart section dried, I used my tweezers to pull out the spacing sliver, lest it get glued in place.

 

The final step was to adhere my panel to an A2 card base. I used the same card I had smeared ink on, & just adhered the panel over that side of the card base. I just figure, waste not, want not! 😉

 

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

 

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday "Anything Goes"

613 Avenue Create February Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Birthday Mum

 

 The sketch for this week's Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge inspired the design of this card. I got my general color inspiration from palette #127 in Volume 1 (1st edition) of Sarah Renae Clark's Color Cube system.

 

 

 

I saw this card by Lin at her Hearts, Hugs, & Flowers blog, & liked the general floral arrangement. I don't have a sunflower die, but thought I could get a similar effect with some old layering flower punches by The Paper Studio I have. I punched one of each size from each of 3 different shades of yellow/orange cardstock. I glued together the 3 layers of each individual size, adding the glue only in the center & kind of fanning the petals apart as I glued the layers together. After the glue had set up, I added more glue to the center back of each of the 2 smaller layers & adhered them together, largest to smallest. While I liked the result, I felt it now looked more like a mum than a sunflower, so I decided to pivot & just go with that.

 

I cut some smaller flowers using dies from Scrapbook.com's "Sunny Lane Florals" set. I ended up not being able to make a good-looking arrangement with those & my mum, though, so I gave up on that. (I am keeping those flowers for some other project.) I did cut a flower center for my mum from my darkest shade of yellow-orange cardstock with one of the dies in that set, as the center of the flower looked a little stark without it.

 

For the stem, I used a branch die from Honey Bee Stamps' "Winter Greenery" set. I die cut it from green cardstock, & trimmed off most of the "branchy" parts from the main section with my scissors. Then I used double-sided tape to adhere the top end to the back of my flower. I added glue to reinforce the adhesion, and set that aside to dry.

 

I die cut 3 leaves from the "Skeleton Leaves" set by Tim Holtz. I adhered each to a different shade of cardstock, & then fussy cut around the perimeter, so I would have a solid backing to each leaf.

For my greeting, I first stamped one of the banners from Avery Elle's "Build a Banner" set (discontinued) onto white cardstock. I used Hero Arts Pool ink for the outline, Lawn Fawn Sunflower ink for the main background, & My Favorite Things Pineapple ink for the 2 bits where the ends fold under. Then I stamped the greeting, from the "Sentiment Strips: Birthday" set from Pretty Pink Posh in My Favorite Things Coral Crush ink. Finally, I die cut the banner with the coordinating die. I die cut 3 more banners from white cardstock, & layered them behind my greeting banner to give it a little more oomph.

To assemble the card, I cut a piece of blue gingham patterned paper from my scrap stash to 4-1/8 x 5-3/8". I laid out my elements until I liked the arrangement, then glued them in place. For the leaves, I added glue only to the base sections so the ends would kind of pop up around the flower. I added glue to the flower only in the center, & stuck that down on top of the leaves. I glued the stem all the way to the background, & trimmed off the bit that overhung at the bottom edge of the panel. I added my banner, & adhered my panel to a navy cardstock mat that I'd mounted to a white A2 card base. Once the glue dried, I zhuzhed the petals on the flower to fluff them up a bit, just for a bit of added dimension.

 

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

 

All Sorts Challenge #835: "Autumn Colors"

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Add Some Texture" (added texture with top layer of die cut leaves & fluffy mum)

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Anything Goes"

The Paper Funday Challenge #81: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Creative Knockouts Challenge #557: "Halloween or Fall" (used fall leaves & flower)

Ellibelle's Corner October Garden Party Challenge #8

Wishing You a Year of Joy

 

 

The theme for Double Trouble's challenge this time around is "Shades of Fall." As usual, it is a recipe challenge using at least the number of the following ingredients: 3 colors (shades of Fall), 2 images, 1 stenciled or dry-embossed element. As you notice, I have flowers on my card. Flowers (except maybe for mums) don't exactly scream Fall - unless you live in the South. Here in Texas, our flowers (including mums) bloom sometimes into November. Below is a photo I shot at a pumpkin display here in our town in October of 2023. The purple flowers in that display helped inspire my color palette for my images.

 

Pumpkin Wonderland

 

I began with my background. I had applied the molding paste to my panel, using the "Ribbon Weave" stencil from A Colorful Life Designs quite some time ago, & it's been sitting in my stash ever since. I decided it would work perfectly for this card. I placed the stencil back over the panel, lining it up with the molding paste design, & ink blended with Abandoned Coral, Dried Marigold, & Fossilized Amber Distress Oxide inks (my 3 shades). I decided to go with basically a pastel Fall color scheme, since the background is more of a supporting character to my main images.

 

I die cut my images from Strathmore Mixed Media paper, using the smaller flowers & leaves in the "Brushstroke Flowers #2" set from Sizzix/Tim Holtz. This is a new-to-me set, so I was glad to be able to use it. I used my DIY Distress Spray Stains (a la Tiffany Solorio) in Milled Lavender, Seedless Preserves, Mustard Seed, Shabby Shutters, & Rustic Wilderness to color scraps of the paper before die cutting. After I had die cut the flowers, leaves, & flower centers from the papers, I felt they still looked a little flat. So I got Tombow water-based markers in purple & green, and kind of flicked & tapped with the brush tip onto each main die cut. I also colored the layering pieces with the markers to make them darker. Then I spritzed all the pieces generously with water to get the marker color moving & dried them with my heat gun. That gave me the effect I wanted. After they were all thoroughly dry, I glued the layers for each piece together.

 

I stamped my greeting, from the "Sentiment Strips: Birthday" set from Pretty Pink Posh, in Abandoned Coral Distress Oxide ink onto white cardstock. Then I die cut that with one of the "Sentiment Strips" dies. I arranged my flowers & leaves & glued them together so I could work with them as one unit. After the glue dried, I positioned them & my greeting strip on the background panel & glued them down. Finally, I added my panel to a white A2 card base that I'd adhered a yellow mat layer to.

 

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

 

Die Cut Divas October Challenge: "Anything Goes"

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Clean & Simple"

613 Avenue Create October Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

The Paper Funday Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

All Sorts Challenge #835: "Autumn Colors"

Enjoy Your Day

The sketch for the current challenge at Try a Sketch on Tuesday inspired the design of my card.

I had the die cut background panel left over from another project. It's been sitting on my desk, & I decided to use it finally for this card. I cut a piece of white cardstock to 4x5-1/4" (the size of my panel) & glued the die cut panel to that. I wanted it to be there, but subtle, hence the white-on-white. Then I die cut a window in the panel with one of  Creative Expressions' "Octagon" dies (discontinued). To make a narrow frame for that, I die cut another octagon from green cardstock with the same die. Without removing the die, I traced around the outer edge. Then I was able to cut around that with scissors. Finally I glued that to my panel & adhered a scrap of patterned paper behind the window.

I used Altenew's "Vintage Flowers" layering stamp set & coordinating dies for my focal element. I decided to go with peachy-orange for the large flower, & used blue on the smaller ones, since blue is the complement of orange. After stamping the flowers & leaves, I die cut them & glued them to my card front. I used a bit of foam tape to pop up the main flower.

For the greeting, I pulled out one of my new favorites, "Sentiment Strips: Birthday" from Pretty Pink Posh. I stamped it on green cardstock with Memento Bamboo Leaves ink & die cut it into a banner with one of the "Sentiment Strips" dies. I glued it to my panel so the banner end slightly overlaps the bottom blue flower, just to make the design more cohesive.

To assemble my card, I trimmed about 1/16" off each side of my background panel, and adhered it to a 4-1/8x5-3/8" mat. Finally I adhered that to my white A2 card base.

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

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Layer It Up/Use Ephemera"

Creative Knockouts Challenge #554: "Lots of Layers"

The Paper Funday Challenge #80: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Ellibelle's Corner Crafty Wednesday Challenge: "Anything Goes"

Ellibelle's Corner Garden Party Challenge #7: "Anything in or from a Garden"

Die Cut Divas September Challenge: "Anything Goes"

613 Avenue Create's September Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Double Trouble Challenge #199: "Sweet Surprise" (also TSOT Challenge #678)

Orchid Happy Birthday

I created this card to send to a woman whose birthday is this month. She is battling cancer, so needs all the good vibes she can get.

I used Sketch #SC641 from Splitcoaststampers.com as the basis for my design. I began by die cutting the pieces for the Hero Arts "Color Layering Orchid in a Pot" stamp set (discontinued). The stem & flowers are especially fiddly, so by die cutting first I could make sure to have everything lined up with the die properly. I taped the pieces on the back into the negative space, to make it easier to stamp on them. I decided to go with purple for the flowers, & used a light brown for the stem pieces. I stamped the pot with teal ink, then - without moving the stamp or cardstock in my MISTI stamp positioner tool - added Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide ink with a sponge dauber to one side of the stamp. It took a couple of stampings to achieve the look I wanted, but this added a bit of shading to the pot.

I die cut a pink panel with Spellbinders' "Grateful Lattice" die (discontinued), & layered it on top of another panel cut from the same cardstock. I cut the curved edge with Simon Says Stamp's "A2 Card Curved Edge" die. I added that panel with a couple of other strips to my A2-size card base.

For the greeting, I pulled out the Hero Arts "Year Round Sentiments" stamp set (discontinued) - an oldie but a goodie. I stamped the Happy Birthday onto a strip of white cardstock with one of the purple inks I'd used for the flowers. To mirror the curve on the pink panel, I used an oval die to trace a curve onto the end of my greeting strip, then cut it with scissors. I adhered the strip to my card, and then glued down the die cut pieces to build my orchid. I am really happy with how this card turned out, & hopefully the recipient will be, too.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Stay Crafty with a Blog Named Hero April 2024 Challenge: "Anniversary/Birthday"

Double Trouble: "SomeThing, AnyThing, EveryThing"

With Deepest Sympathy

The mother of a friend of ours recently passed away, so I made this sympathy card to send. The photo for Inspiration Station's Challenge #52 served as my jumping-off point. In particular, I was drawn to the butterflies, wildflowers, & the colors and ethereal quality of the atmosphere.

I began by die cutting a piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper with one of the "Nested A2 Arches" dies from Scrapbook.com. I inked it with Salvaged Patina, Mustard Seed, & Shabby Shutters Distress inks. I spritzed water droplets onto the panel, let them sit for a minute or two, then picked the drops up with a towel. I wanted kind of a 2-tone effect, with some spots darker than others, so I inked over the Mustard Seed area with Squeezed Lemonade Distress ink & added another layer of Shabby Shutters at the bottom of the panel. (I didn't feel the Salvaged Patina area needed another layer of ink.) Then I spritzed more droplets on & soaked them up.

I die cut 3 of the Sizzix/Tim Holtz "Wildflowers" from white cardstock. I inked the flower portions with a Versamarker pen, and added a coat of Abandoned Coral Distress Embossing Glaze. I repeated the process once again to get a more solid coating. Then I did the same with Mowed Lawn Embossing Glaze for the stems & leaves. I glued them to my background, & trimmed off the overhanging bits. I then adhered my arch to a navy mat.

I stamped one of the Picket Fence Studios "Butterfly Beauties" butterflies onto a scrap of green cardstock with Lawn Fawn's Deep Sea ink. I die cut it with the coordinating die, & also die cut 2 more butterfly shapes from the same cardstock. Using a trick I learned from Jennifer McGuire, I folded each of the plain die cuts in half. I glued half of one behind the left half of the stamped butterfly, and the other behind the right half. Then I glued just the other halves of the folded butterfly die cuts to my card front, so the stamped one would pop up slightly.

I chose a greeting from Simon Says Stamps' "Sympathy Greetings Mix" stamp set (discontinued). I had initially planned to stamp the greeting on a strip of cardstock & adhere it to my card. But I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that this particular greeting nestled perfectly along the curve of the arch with the flower under it. So I used Deep Sea ink to stamp it there. Talk about serendipity! Finally, I added my card front to a white A2 card base.

Happy Mother's Day

I based the design & floral embellishments for this card on Try Stampin' on Tuesday's Sketch #607 challenge.

I began by creating the flower layers with an old punch from The Paper Studio. I punched 3 layers for each flower, then glued them together, adding glue just to the centers. I finished them off by adding a gem in the middle of each.

I embossed the panel to go behind the flowers with the "Floral Fantasy" embossing folder from Cuttlebug (discontinued). I matted it with navy cardstock to help it stand out, then adhered that to my white A2 card base.

I cut a strip from an inky background I'd made several months ago. I adhered that to my card, and then glued the flowers over it.

I stamped a greeting from Simon Says Stamp's "All About Mom" stamp set in Lawn Fawn Deep Sea ink. Finally, I die cut a vine using one of the Spellbinder's "Sprigs" dies (discontinued), and glued that next to the greeting.

I'm also entering my card in 613 Avenue Create's May challenge: "Anything Goes" (playing the optional twist of "Say It with Flowers")

Hope Your Day Blooms with Happiness

The current Lawn Fawnatics challenge is "Interactive Cards." I created this card with Lawn Fawn's "Magic Picture Changer" & "Magic Picture Changer Add-on" die sets. I also used the "Garden Before 'n Afters" stamp set for the images & greeting.

I began by tracing the openings with a pencil in the 2 dies that create the magic picture changer onto pieces of Strathmore Smooth Bristol paper. This helped me to know where to stamp my images so they would both show up in the window. I stamped the images on their respective panels, & colored them with my Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers. Then I lined the dies up & cut out the pieces.

I die cut the frame for the magic picture changer from a patterned paper from Lawn Fawn. (I don't know the name, as it was just a gift with purchase.) After I assembled the magic picture changer, I adhered the frame in place, making sure my adhesive didn't interfere with the mechanism. I die cut the "pull" stopper piece from pink cardstock, & glued it to the pull tab. I also heat embossed my greeting with white embossing powder onto the same pink cardstock, cut it into labels, & glued those to the frame.

I die cut a piece of plaid patterned paper (another gift with purchase from Lawn Fawn) with the largest of Lawn Fawn's "Large Stitched Rectangle" dies, & adhered it to my white A2-size card base. I adhered the magic picture changer with foam tape, to make it easier for the recipient to pull the tab. And that finished this card!

I'm also entering this card in Send a Smile for Kids' "Easter/Spring Cards 4 Kids" challenge.

Snowy Season's Greetings

This is my second card for Christmas Card Throwdown's October Tic-Tac-Toe Challenge. For this one I chose the diagonal row of Favorite Color (purple), Patterned Paper, & Die Cut.

I used the remainder of the same "failed" alcohol ink background from my first card for this challenge to die cut the snowflakes. As Jennifer McGuire says, if you do a background you don't like, just die cut from it! 😊 I cut a panel of pink patterned paper from an old 6x6" pad from BoBunny, & matted it with navy cardstock, to complement the dark blue snowflakes. I glued my snowflakes to that.

I die cut a label with one of the "Grommet Tags" set by Spellbinders (discontinued) from yellow cardstock, & heat embossed my greeting with navy embossing powder. The greeting comes from Hero Arts' "Holiday Cardinal" stamp set. I adhered 3 purple strips - scraps from an ink smooshed technique piece I'd done previously - to my pink panel. I then adhered my greeting label over those. As a finishing touch, I colored 2 clear gems with a navy Sharpie marker, and glued them over the holes in the ends of the label.

I'm also entering this card in Hero Arts' "Stay Crafty with a Blog Named Hero" October challenge: "Merry Everything."

Hummingbird Happy Birthday

My counselor's birthday is coming up this weekend, & I made this card for her. The design is based on Sketch Challenge #580 at Try Stampin' on Tuesday. For the main elements, I rotated the sketch 180 degrees. I added the sequins at the bottom right, in place of the banner in the sketch.

I embossed my background panel with the "Vines" embossing folder from Park Lane, then adhered it to my A2-size card base. I stamped the "Hummingbird" image from Divinity Designs onto a scrap of 140 lb. watercolor paper, using Ink on 3's Fade-Out ink. I painted that with my watercolors. I used a black glaze pen to go over the eye, & added in the catchlights with a white gel pen.

I printed the flower from Fred She Said's "Hummingbird & Columbine" digital set onto another piece of watercolor paper. I watercolored that as well. I stamped the "happy birthday," from Altenew's "Balloon Bunch" set, with Villainous Potion Distress Oxide ink. I felt that went well with the purple I'd used in the bird.

I adhered my flower panel to my card. I die cut the hummingbird with the coordinating die, & also die cut it 3 more times from white cardstock. I layered all the die cuts, & then glued it onto my card. I added 3 5mm Crystal sequins from Darice onto the bottom right, & that finished this card. I really love how this came together, & I'm sure my counselor will love it, too.

Happy Birthday with Rainbow Scoops

The current challenge at Double Trouble is to make your own, "YouNique," background. I have a great need of birthday cards in the coming weeks, so I decided to make a rainbow ice cream birthday card. Who wouldn't want to celebrate their birthday with a 7-decker ice cream cone? :)

I first die cut the ice cream scoops & cone with the coordinating dies to Hero Arts' "Color Layering Ice Cream" (discontinued). I set up my MISTI stamp positioning tool so I could stamp the scoops in assembly-line style. I had a template using the negative space from one of the cardstock scraps that I'd cut the pieces from. I positioned the base stamp for the cone & scoop in place, & stamped that layer for each one, changing colors as I went. Then I positioned the detail layer for each, & stamped those in slightly darker colors. I made sure, after a tip from Jennifer McGuire, to let the base layer on each piece dry a bit before stamping the top layer, just to keep the detail layer from mushing into the base layer.

For my background, I cut a piece of pink cardstock to 3-1/4x8-1/4". I used the word stamps from Winnie & Walter's "The Party" set (discontinued) and Lawn Fawn Ballet Slippers ink to stamp my background pattern. After I had finished stamping, I glued my cone & scoops to the panel.

I stamped my greeting, from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamp's "Happy Birthdays" set (discontinued), in Versafine Clair Morning Mist ink onto a scrap of Bazzill Icy Mint cardstock. Finally, I glued that down & adhered my panel to a white slimline card.

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

Creative Knockouts Challenge #458: "Something to Say"

My Favorite Things Slimline Challenge: "Rainbow"

613 Avenue Create's June Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Die Cut Divas' June Challenge: "Summer Days" (what is more summery than ice cream?)

Warm Winter Wishes

The October Monthly Mix Challenge at Gina K. Designs' blog has a theme of "Ink Smooshing." I decided to do a bit of a twist on this, by using Distress Oxide inks on glossy photo paper & then going over it with a baby wipe.

I got an A2-size panel I'd previously cut from a sheet of photo paper I'd gotten at Dollar Tree. Unless it's changed, this paper comes in a pack of 8 letter-size sheets for just $1.00. So, if you make A2 cards & use the photo paper for the full card front, that's about 32 card panels for a buck - not a bad deal from where I stand! For this technique, I've heard the cheaper the paper the better, so....

I used Kitsch Flamingo & Cracked Pistachio Distress Oxide inks for my ink smooshing. I was kind of expecting a purple from the Cracked Pistachio (since it leans towards blue) mixing with the pink. But the Cracked Pistachio ink surprised me by turning into a yellow green! Thankfully, it didn't harm the look at all.

After I finished the ink smooshing technique, I stamped the large swooping image from Gina K's "Holiday Tapestry" set with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide ink. I used my MISTI stamp positioning tool for that, since I had to stamp it a few times to get a good impression.

Then the magic happened. I wiped the panel with a damp baby wipe, which brings the colors from a chalky finish to where they just sing! It also "pulls" the colors in the background layers up. Not so they overshadow the upper layers, though; just so they add flavor.

I chose a greeting from Gina K's "Holiday Wreath Builder" and stamped it with Mermaid Lagoon Distress Oxide ink onto a scrap of aqua cardstock. I cut that into a banner shape, & hand-stitched it to the top of my panel. Finally, I adhered my card front panel to a white card base.

The Best Birthday Ever

I am in need of several cards for fast-upcoming birthdays. I actually made two of this version, with different color schemes. The current challenge at Double Trouble inspired the autumnal color palette.

I pulled out my Gina K. Designs 4" Wreath Builder template. Since I just wanted to make a swag at the top & bottom, though, I used a piece of white cardstock cut to 4x5-1/4", rather than a 4" square like you would normally use with this template. I also used images from Gina's "Autumn Wreath Builder" stamp set.

I used all Memento dye inks for my stamping. I began by stamping the maple leaves in Cantaloupe. After I stamped the first leaf in the middle on one end of my panel, I turned my cardstock to the adjacent diagonal orientation in the template, & stamped the second. I turned the panel to the other adjacent diagonal orientation, & stamped a third leaf. Then, I turned the panel 180° & stamped 3 more leaves in the same way. I stamped the longer sprigs with Bamboo Leaves ink, positioning them between the maple leaves. For the flowers & other 2 sprigs, since I only stamped 2 on each end, I had to stamp the image, rotate my cardstock 180°, & stamp again. Then I repositioned the stamp on the opposite side of the panel, & repeated the process. The smaller sprigs I actually stamped first with Bamboo Leaves, then stamped on top with Teal Zeal.

After I finished stamping my images, I removed the Wreath Builder template from my MISTI stamp positioning tool, & put my panel back in with a grid sheet over it to help me line up the circle (from the original "Wreath Builder" stamp set) for my greeting. When I finally lined that up, I stamped it with Tangelo ink. I double-stamped the greeting, also from the original set, with Teal Zeal ink. To finish the card, I matted it with peach cardstock & adhered it to a white A2-size card base.

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

Use Your Stuff Challenge #433: "Autumn/Fall"

613 Avenue Create's October Challenge: "Anything Goes"

Birthday Blessings

I needed a special birthday card for a special friend. I decided to make a fancy-fold card of sorts, & found a tutorial on Lattice Fold Cards by Sam Calcott. I used her "bonus" technique of putting the pop-up lattice feature on the inside of the card. For a pattern, I used the "Susan's Lattice Folds" template from Hot Off the Press (discontinued).

Sam had suggested in her tutorial that using a white-core cardstock would give a cool two-tone effect to the lattice portion. I have a pad of 12x12" cardstock from Die Cuts with a View called Flip/Side. It has 2 different shades of a color per sheet. I chose a mint/teal cardstock from that pad.

Inside of card showing lattice fold

I began with the inside panel. I cut it to 7x12", and scored it in half at 6". I knew I would cut it down eventually, but wanted to make sure it was wide enough, so started with a larger piece. I lined up my template pattern along the fold, & traced the cut lines with a pencil. I cut them with scissors, & then folded down every other section. I cut off the folded piece at the very bottom & glued it to the top to complete the pattern. I did end up trimming down the panel at the top & bottom, as well as the sides. Then I set that aside to work on the rest of the card.

For the front, I die cut a tag from a faux-dip-dye watercolor panel that I'd made previously. I die cut a butterfly with Divinity Designs' "Fancy Fritillary" from silver mirror cardstock backed with Stick It adhesive. I cut the tag reinforcer from the same silver cardstock & glued it in place. I adhered the butterfly to the tag at an angle, & adhered the tag to a panel I'd cut from the leftover piece of the inside panel. I used the teal side of the remaining cardstock piece to mat my panel, & then mounted it onto a white card base.

For the greeting, I heat embossed the "birthday blessings" from Altenew's "Balloon Bunch" stamp set onto a scrap of a different teal cardstock. I cut it into a banner, & adhered it to the front of my card. I adhered the inside panel in place, & adhered 2 white panels on either side for a personal message.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Incy Wincy Designs Challenge: "Use a Card Fold Tutorial +/Animals"

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Add a Sentiment"

Creative Knockouts Challenge #415: "Birthday Wishes"

Die Cut Divas August Challenge: "Watercolor - Real or Faux" (used watercolor on the tag)

The House that Stamps Built Challenge #A421: "Use a Tag on Your Card"

Poinsettia Joy

I created this card inspired by this week's color challenge at Christmas Card Throwdown. The colors this time are aqua, rose pink, & metallic gold. An unusual color scheme for sure, but I had fun pulling this together.

I first die cut my poinsettias from 2 shades of pink cardstock with the Poppystamps "Blooming Poinsettia" dies. I used only the 2 smaller flower dies for those pieces, and die cut the centers from gold metallic cardstock. I glued the lighter flower layers on top of the darker ones, adding glue just in the centers. Finally, I glued on the centers, again adding just a dot of glue in the middle of the die cut.

For the greeting, I die cut Lawn Fawn's "Scripty Joy" from the same pink cardstocks as my flowers. I glued the lighter die cut over the darker, offset to give a shadow effect.

I cut my tag from gold metallic cardstock with a Scrapbook.com "Nested Tags" die. After I figured out where to place my greeting & flowers, I glued them to the tag. I also added the tittle to the "j" at this point. I originally die cut the hole reinforcer from the light aqua cardstock I used for my background, but it blended in too much when I adhered the tag in place. So I die cut it again from the darker pink, & just glued that over the aqua one. To finish, I just adhered my card front to a white A2-size card base. This was actually a really simple card to make. The hardest part was just figuring out what products I wanted to use!

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

613 Avenue Create's August Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

The House that Stamps Built Challenge #A421: "Use a Tag on Your Card"

Aud Sentiments Challenge #281: "Anything Goes + a Sentiment"

Dies R Us Challenge #175: "Anything Goes Using Any Brand of Die that DRU Sells" (used Lawn Fawn & Poppystamps)

One Sketch, Two Cards

I created not one, but 2 cards for Lawn Fawnatics' Challenge #106. They posted a sketch, & challenged participants to create a project based on that. For my first card, I rotated the sketch 90 degrees. I stamped the Be Merry greeting from Lawn Fawn's "Peace Joy Love" stamp set (discontinued) 5 times at a diagonal, shifting the card panel up in my MISTI stamp positioning tool each time I stamped.

I stamped the joy (from the same set) several times with Lawn Fawn's Kiddie Pool ink, onto a scrap of white cardstock. I die cut it with a "Small Cross-Stitched Rectangle" die from Lawn Fawn. After I  trimmed my blue panel slightly, to 5-1/4x4", I adhered my main greeting panel in the middle. I adhered the blue panel to a white A2-size card base. I added several Pretty Pink Posh 4mm & 6mm Sparkling Clear Sequins, & that finished this first card.

My second card is for the mother of a friend of ours. Her husband passed away earlier this year, & we heard she is not doing well now. So I decided to make a card to send to her, to try & lift her spirits a little. This time, I kept pretty much with the sketch.

I die cut an oval from Strathmore Vellum Bristol paper with one of Lawn Fawn's "Large Stitched Oval" dies. I stamped the image from "Rain or Shine Before 'n Afters" towards the top of the oval with a light grey ink. I also stamped one of the greetings from the set below the image, in a slightly darker grey. I used an orangey-yellow ink to stamp the sun portion onto a scrap of yellow cardstock, & fussy cut just the sun out. After I colored the rainbow & clouds with my Prismacolor colored pencils, I glued the sun in place.

I felt the empty bottom area threw off the design, so I die cut another portion of an oval from a scrap of pale blue cardstock, & used a Lawn Fawn "Puffy Cloud Borders" die to cut the top portion. Then I glued that to the bottom of my main oval. I also inked the perimeter outside the stitching line with Speckled Egg Distress ink, to help the oval stand out from the background.

I cut a piece of patterned paper I'd gotten as a gift in a Lawn Fawn order to 3x4-1/2", & glued my oval centered on that. I covered the front of my 4-bar card base with a yellow cardstock, & added strips of different colors to that, to mimic the rainbow in the image. I backed the patterned paper panel with another piece of white cardstock that I'd cut the same size, so the cardstock strips behind it wouldn't create any dents in the paper layer. Finally, I adhered the patterned paper pane to the card.

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

613 Avenue Create's August Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Hero Arts Stay Crafty with Hero Challenge #26: "Rainbow Cards" (second card only)

Aud Sentiments Challenge #281: "Anything Goes + a Sentiment"

Dies R Us Challenge #175: "Anything Goes Using Any Brand of Die that DRU Sells" (used Lawn Fawn dies)

Leave a Little Sparkle

 

Jennifer McGuire recently had a video about the Sparkled Glass technique. I created this card based on that technique, & the butterflies & color palette in the inspiration photo from the If You Give a Crafter a Cookie challenge.

I cut a piece of Grafix DuraLar acetate to 4-1/4x5-1/2". Using my MISTI stamp positioning tool, I centered the image from WPlus9's new "Vintage Ephemera" stamp set on the panel, & stamped it with StazOn Jet Black ink. I then used Sharpie markers to color it, adding the color on the back of the acetate so as not to smear the StazOn.

I cut a panel of patterned paper from the My Mind's Eye "Adorbs" 6x6" pad to 4x5-1/4". I used the coordinating "Vintage Ephemera" die to die cut from the center of that panel. I applied double-sided adhesive to the back of the paper, and adhered it to my acetate, centering the image in the die cut window. Then I trimmed off any acetate that extended beyond the patterned paper.

I adhered a panel of white glitter paper behind the image. I couldn't capture the shimmer in the photo, as it is subtle, but it's there. I matted my panel with pink cardstock & adhered it to a white A2-size card base. I used a sticker from the Tim Holtz "Small Talk" sticker book for my greeting. I felt the wording went perfectly with a sparkly image. Finally, to echo the black of the greeting, I added 3 black sequins to the lower right corner. I think when I do this technique again, I will use a chunkier glitter paper, just so the sparkle shows better. But I still like how this card came out.

I'm also entering this card in 613 Avenue Create's "Anything Goes" challenge (not playing the twist).

Happy Birthday

 

My aunt's birthday is coming up, so I decided to make her a card. Because she lives in Florida, I wanted to use Hero Arts' "Color Layering Hibiscus" stamp set & coordinating dies (discontinued). To get inspiration, I did a search for that set on Pinterest, & found this card by Yana Smakula. I liked the frame idea, so decided to use that & build my card around it.

I first stamped out my flowers & leaves. I used photos of hibiscus flowers to guide my color choices. For the second layer of the pink hibiscus, I used the same pink ink I had for the first layer, just stamping it multiple times to build up the color. For the stamen, I used gold embossing powder on the orange hibiscus, & yellow on the pink ones, just for a little something different. However, I apparently didn't stamp the flowers exactly "right," & the dies wouldn't line up properly. So I fussy cut those. Thankfully, I was able to die cut the leaves. Lesson learned - die cut the flowers first and then stamp!

I cut my white frame first, since I knew it would be the larger element. I used a paper trimmer to cut the main piece, then used a Waffle Flower "Nesting Squares" die to cut out the opening. I then cut another frame piece from black cardstock. Before I cut the inside window, I marked where I wanted the happy to die cut. I used the happy die from Spellbinders' "Happy Birthday Banner" die (discontinued) & partial die cutting to cut the word from where the window would go. Then I used a craft knife & ruler to cut the remainder of the window. The "Happy Birthday Banner" cuts the word both right side up & upside down (connected to each other), so you can fold it over a string to make a banner. So once I'd cut away the excess of the window, I folded the upper part of the letters over, & glued them to the back of the lower part, to provide a little more reinforcement. I stamped the birthday, from Altenew's "Birthday Builder" set, on the white frame, & adhered the black frame behind the white.

For some added interest in the background, I embossed a white panel with the "Lumber" 3-D embossing folder by Tim Holtz for Sizzix. I matted that with black, adhered it to a white A2 card base, and arranged my flowers, leaves, & frame. I glued everything down flat, except for the flower in the upper right corner, which I popped up with foam tape.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

 

Aud Sentiments Challenge #277: "Anything Goes Plus a Sentiment"

Dies R Us Challenge # 171: "Anything Goes with Any Brand of Die that DRU Sells" (used Spellbinders die"

Happy Birthday to a Beautiful Friend

  

A good friend of ours has a birthday this weekend. She always appreciates my cards, so I tend to make them really special. The "Beautiful Pop-up Book Card" tutorial by Sam Calcott at Mixed Up Craft inspired this card.

I first created a 5x7" card base from heavyweight white cardstock. I cut a piece of script patterned paper to 4-1/2x6-1/2", and matted it with pink, leaving a 1/8" border, then adhered it to the card base. I used Altenew's "Vintage Roses" stamp set & coordinating dies for the flowers and leaves. Our friend lives in Tyler, TX, which is designated the Rose Capital of America, so that guided my choice of flowers.

I created the greeting for the front in Photoshop, & printed it onto parchment paper. I die cut that with a Spellbinders "Decorative Labels One" die (discontinued). It kind of got lost on the script paper, since there is not much color difference, so I die cut a mat from pink with a Spellbinders "Labels One" die (discontinued), that coordinates with the decorative label. I adhered those together, and mounted them to my card front. Finally, I glued the roses & leaves in place around the greeting.

Inside of card

The recipient is a church choir director, so I decided to make this "book" card a music book. I found royalty-free sheet music online, and downloaded it. I printed out the first 6 pages, and scanned them into my computer. I opened each page in Photoshop, & sized them so they would fit on the book pages, following the measurements in the tutorial. I then printed them onto parchment paper, & cut them to size.

 

I matted each music page with pink, & adhered them to the inside pages that I'd cut from white cardstock. I also added the end papers to the inside covers of the card. I created the mechanism as per the tutorial, and inserted my pages.

 

I die cut the "happy birthday" from black glitter paper, using the "Celebration Words: Script" die set from Sizzix by Tim Holtz. I added that to another "Decorative Labels One" die cut, that I'd cut from a double layer of Essentials by Ellen 40 lb. vellum. (The vellum helps mute the background sheet music, to make the greeting more legible, without totally obscuring the notes.) To finish, I added a couple more roses & leaves in opposite corners of the greeting. I made a matching envelope as well. Since there is a bit of bulk to this card, I couldn't really use a "flat" envelope, so I made one that's a bit more like an envelope-shaped box.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Through the Craft Room Door: "Anything Goes"

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Inspired by an Artist" (design & flower accents inspired by Sam Calcott)

Die Cut Divas June Challenge: "Birthdays"

Dies R Us Challenge #170: "Anything Goes Using any Brand of Die that DRU Sells" (Sizzix & Spellbinders dies used)