Masculine Happy Birthday

 

I am so excited to be the Crazy Cousin guest designer for the Double Trouble Challenges this month! Challenge #216 runs from May 11-24. "It's a Wheelie Cool Day" for this challenge, where you need to use 3 layers (card base does not count), 2 shapes, & 1 image. While you're certainly free to do more than that, those are the minimum requirements to play. And of course, there is always the optional sketch challenge starting tomorrow at Try a Sketch on Tuesday. (Please keep in mind, the TSOT challenge doesn't start until May 12, so if you want to enter there, you cannot post, publish, or enter your project online before then!)

I created this card for a friend's birthday. Thing 3's optional twist for Double Trouble is to use something with at least one wheel, cam, and/or gear. While I have images like trucks, a scooter, & even gear dies, I decided to think a little "outside the box" & used Doodle Pantry's "Watermill" digital image (discontinued), which features a millwheel. I thought this would make a good masculine card.

 

After sizing the image in Photoshop, I printed it onto a piece of Canson XL watercolor paper with my laser printer. I then painted the scene with my watercolors. That was a bit of a challenge to get it to look right, but I think I prevailed. For the finer details, like the fence, millwheel framing, & the supports under the projecting part of the building, I used a few of my Prismacolor colored pencils. These were really tiny elements, & it was just easier to get in with a sharp pencil than a paintbrush.

 

Once the painting was done & dry, I die cut it with a "Nesting Oval Infinity" die from Hero Arts. Since I wanted a narrower mat than I would have gotten by cutting with the next larger die, I had to get a bit creative. As an extra personal challenge to save on cardstock, I first cut out all but a 3/8" border from a navy A2 panel. I traced the outer edge of the oval die onto the piece I'd cut out. Since I knew I wanted to do the same for the greeting, before I cut the large mat out, I went ahead & traced around the smaller die in the middle of the larger oval outline. To make accessing the smaller oval easier for cutting, I cut a rectangle around that outline with my craft knife & a metal ruler. Finally, I used scissors to cut out each oval. The parts I gutted from the two larger mats are covered, so no one would know they're "hollow." Even better, I got 3 mats out of one A2-size panel - score!

 

I stamped the greeting in Scorched Timber Distress Oxide ink onto a scrap of light blue cardstock & die cut it with a Waffle Flower "Nesting Ovals" die. Then I glued that & the image oval to their mats. I embossed a panel of kraft cardstock with Honey Bee's "Wood Planks 3D" embossing folder, trimmed it to 3-3/4 x 5", and adhered my image & greeting ovals to that. I cut off the overhanging bit of the greeting oval, then adhered my panel to the navy mat/border that I'd adhered to a white A2 card base. I cut 3 banners from patterned paper scraps in my stash, & glued just the top portion of each to the card front, so the ends are free.

 

I really love how this card came out! Filling all the challenge requirements was, well, a challenge, but it was so worth it in the end. I'll see y'all again in a couple of weeks for my next guest design post, if not sooner! 

 

 

 

 I'm also playing along in Try a Sketch on Tuesday's Challenge #695. 

He is Risen

I created this card for my mom to send to a priest at her church. Of course she wanted a religious-themed Easter card. I didn't have much in the way of religious Easter image or greeting stamps, so I purchased Trinity Stamps' "Simply Sentimental: Easter" stamp set & coordinating dies. While it's not a completely religious set, it does have words & phrases that are not necessarily cutesy in font style or context. I got the greeting for this card from that set.

 

My inspiration came from this card I saw on Pinterest. While it's not an Easter card, I liked the cross on a label-style background with an element in the middle of the cross. So I ran with that.

 

I die cut the strips for the cross from dark brown cardstock with one of the "Barn Wood Planks" dies from Honey Bee Stamps. Because I needed them to be narrower & shorter than the original die cut, I first glued the die cuts to another scrap of cardstock, then cut them with scissors to the sizes I needed. Because these dies cut deeply-debossed details into the cardstock, I had learned that if you want to trim them down at all, you have to adhere them to a solid backing piece first so they don't fall apart.

 

I used a Spellbinders "Labels Four" die (discontinued) for the panel to put the cross on. I die cut that from white cardstock, & inked the edges with blue ink to help it stand out a little. I glued the cross pieces in place, making sure they were centered & parallel to the sides and the top & bottom as needed.

 

For the single dogwood flower, I opened the "Dogwood Branch" digi image from Fred, She Said in Photoshop. I used the eraser tool combined with the marquee tool to erase the rest of the image, then sized the flower & printed it onto a scrap of Strathmore vellum bristol paper. I added shading & details with my Prismacolor colored pencils, then fussy cut the flower. I glued it where the cross pieces overlap.

I die cut the elements for the greeting banner from the "Banners & Tails" set (discontinued) from Impression Obsession. After inking them lightly with the same blue ink I'd used on the label, I stamped the greeting with Ground Espresso Distress Oxide ink onto the banner.

 

I had created my background during Juliana Michaels' "Stretch Your Stamps" online class several weeks ago. It's been sitting on my desk since then. I decided it would be perfect for this card, since it has kind of a masculine (or at least gender-neutral) look and wouldn't overwhelm the focal panel. I trimmed it down to 4x5-1/4", inked the edges, and adhered it to a white A2-size card base. I adhered my focal panel to that, & then added my greeting banner over the cross. I used a few pieces of scrap heavyweight cardstock behind the main part of the banner to pop it up, which also helped offset the slight thickness of the cross underneath it. I really love how this card came out!

 

I'm entering this card in Little Red Wagon's Challenge #853: "Easter Projects."

Aged to Perfection

 

I created this card for my uncle for his birthday. I based the design on the sketch at the current "Try a Sketch on Tuesday" challenge. I kept to the sketch pretty closely, but stretched the width & shortened the height of the overall design. I also matted the patterned paper strips panel.

 

 

I began by creating my background. I decided on a 7x5" card with a 1/8" mat on all sides. That left me with a total of 6-3/4x4-3/4" to cover. I cut 3 patterned paper strips from my scrap stash to 2-1/4x4-3/4", & embossed each with the "Tumbled Hexagons" embossing folder from Simon Says Stamp (discontinued). I chose those particular patterned papers because of the somewhat muted, masculine rainbow colors. The music piece is especially meaningful because my uncle does karaoke performances for senior centers & other groups.

 

I inked the edges of each strip with Faded Jeans Distress ink, just to define them a bit more. Then I adhered all 3 strips to a slightly smaller panel of white cardstock, just so I could work with them as one piece. I did have to trim the strips a bit, just to size them & square them better. I matted that with a teal cardstock panel that I adhered to a white card base.

 

The truck and greeting are both from Doodle Pantry's "Hotrod Pickup 1" digital set (discontinued). I sized the truck in Photoshop, then printed it onto a panel of Canson XL watercolor paper. I waited to finish working with the greeting, since I didn't know at that point what size or color of panel I wanted.

 

I painted the truck with my watercolors, then rounded the corners of the panel with the 1/4" side of my We R Makers Corner Chomper. (I felt the rounded corners complemented the curves in the truck well.) I inked the edges of the panel with Faded Jeans ink to tie it in with the background. I used a combination of double-sided tape & liquid glue to adhere it to my card front.

 

I ended up printing the greeting on a 2x1" strip of light teal cardstock. I rounded the corners of that as well & inked around the perimeter with Faded Jeans. I added a few scraps of cardstock to the back where it overhung the image panel so it would lie flat on the card front. I glued the strip in place, & that finished this card.

 

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

 

• Double Trouble Challenge #210: "Scrapper's Guacamole 3-2-1 Challenge" (in conjunction with TSOT Challenge #689) - color wheel colors in the patterned papers + 3 patterned papers + dry embossing on the background strips
• Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Anything Goes"
• Paper Funday Challenge #84: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)
• 613 Avenue Create February Challenge: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist) 

Happy Birthday #60

A friend commissioned me to make a birthday card for her husband. He is a woodworker, so she wanted a woodworking theme of some sort. I couldn't find any woodworking imagery per se (e.g. tools) that really worked for a birthday card, so I incorporated other elements.

For design inspiration, I perused my Pinterest board I have saved birthday cards on. I found this one, & liked the overall layout & how the greeting ran vertically rather than horizontally. So I decided to go that route.

I began with the balloons. I die cut the large balloon with a "Nesting Balloons" die from Paper Rose from cherry wood veneer paper that I've had in my stash for years. I die cut "60" from the balloon with the "Little Numbers" from My Favorite Things (discontinued), as the recipient was turning 60. I also die cut the numbers from gold mirror cardstock. I backed the balloon with kraft cardstock, & inlaid the numbers. I made sure also to add the inside bits of the numbers that had been die cut from the wood paper. For the 2 cardstock balloons with a woodgrain pattern, I first die cut the balloons, and then stamped the woodgrain with a slightly darker color ink, using the "Tree Ring Background" stamp from Concord & 9th. I cut another balloon from a plaid paper from Recollections, & a fifth from an inky technique piece that's been sitting on my desk for ages. I tied a string around the neck of each balloon, and set them aside while I worked on the rest of the elements.

For the presents, I decided to make them look like blocks of different species of wood. For the maple block, I just used a scrap of cream cardstock. I "dyed" another cream cardstock scrap with Seedless Preserves Distress ink, going direct-to-paper, for a purpleheart block. For the walnut, I used Walnut Stain to color a scrap of brown cardstock, again with the direct-to-paper technique. After drying those with my heat gun, I stamped the woodgrain pattern on each with darker shades of ink, using the "Designer Woodgrain" stamp from Hero Arts. Finally I stamped the gifts onto my scraps, using Sweet 'n' Sassy Stamps' (now Creative Worship) "All Wrapped Up" (discontinued) for the 2 larger ones & Lawn Fawn's "Birthday Before 'n Afters" for the walnut block. I also stamped each gift box onto a scrap of a contrasting cardstock. I fussy cut the gifts, and then fussy cut the ribbons/bows from the plain cardstock pieces to glue on top. I also stamped the "maple" gift image onto a scrap of kraft cardstock & cut out just the tag. After I'd cut everything, I "painted" the edges with a black felt-tip pen to camouflage the paper core, & glued the ribbons & tag to their respective boxes.

I die cut the "happy" word from navy cardstock with the "Happy" die from Winnie & Walter (discontinued). I also cut it 5 more times from scraps of navy. After I embossed the first die cut with the "Woodgrain 3D" embossing folder from Honey Bee Stamps, I glued them all together for a stacked, chipboard-type word. I gold heat embossed the "birthday," from Altenew's "Birthday Builder" stamp set, on a scrap of Bazzill Icy Mint cardstock, and cut it into a label. I glued it over the descender in the "y," and added a few layers of cardstock to the end of the label that hung past the letter, just to keep it level when I glued it to the card.

I found a piece of tone-on-tone blue paper in an old patterned paper pad from Momenta. I thought it looked like a page from a notebook like a crafter would work out designs in, so it seemed serendipitously perfect. I cut it down for my background, & adhered it to a white 5x6" card base. I used liquid glue to adhere all my elements, running the balloon strings to end behind the presents. And that finished this card! It was a lot of work & took a lot of careful thought to follow the woodworking theme, but I really love how it came out in the end.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Seize the Birthday Challenge #309: Anything Goes

Inkspirational Challenge #346: "Birthday"

Ellibelle's Corner: "I Spy with My Little Eye - Something to Celebrate"

The Paper Funday Challenge #78: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Peaceful Lighthouse

This card took quite a bit of pre-planning & also focus while I was making it. Thankfully, I was able to use the masks from the Waffle Flower "Lighthouse Stencil-n-Stamp" set I used for the bulk of my design to help me determine where to position everything before I started stenciling & stamping.

Once I had my design worked out, I began by ink blending the sand area with Distress inks. I used Antique Linen first, and then darkened/warmed it with Tea Dye. I added Chipped Sapphire over the area to the far left, just to differentiate that spot & make it look "rocky."

I positioned the sand & lighthouse masks to protect those areas, & then ink blended the sky with Mustard Seed, Wild Honey, Worn Lipstick, & Chipped Sapphire Distress inks. That was probably the easiest part of the whole card! After I had all the colors down, I added the light beam with that stencil & Lawn Fawn's Yeti white pigment ink.

For the water area, I taped the Hero Arts "Waves" stencil (discontinued) in place, & masked above it with yellow Frog tape. I ink blended with the same colors as the sky, minus the Chipped Sapphire. Then I removed the stencil. The white areas that the stencil had covered seemed a bit too stark, so I blended over them with the same colors as before to try & get a tone-on-tone effect. That didn't give enough contrast, though, and the colors actually looked kind of "mushy." So I positioned the "Waves" stencil back where I had had it, & inked over it with Chipped Sapphire, making sure to go dark enough that it covered the underlying colors, rather than just blending with them. It's a rather stylized look, but I think it came out OK.

I removed just the lighthouse mask, & stamped the lighthouse with Versafine Onyx Black ink. I stamped it about 3 times, just to get a good solid coverage. The area right above the sand mask didn't really stamp due to the thickness of the mask under the bottom of the stamp. Fortunately I was able to use a black marker to fill in the missing part. I also stamped the birds in black. I used the stencil to add the light in the windows. I blended yellow & pink ink to the top part where you can see through the glass to the sky behind. To add a little something extra in the corners, I pierced holes & made French knots with a pale rose embroidery floss. Finally, I matted the panel with blue cardstock & adhered it to a white A2-size card base. I decided a greeting on the front would detract from the scene, so I'll just write a personal message inside.

I'm entering this in the following challenges:

Stay Crafty with a Blog Named Hero August Challenge: "Anything Goes"

Double Trouble Challenge #146: "SomeThing, AnyThing, EveryThing"

A Banner Hello

I have had the gold die cut strips, made with Spellbinders' "Octagon Strips and Accents" dies (discontinued), for several months. I had made them to use on a project, but that ended up not working out. They were too good to chuck, though, so I held onto them. The other day, I finally decided this was The Time to use them.

I used the outer die in the set to cut 2 backing pieces of peach pearlized cardstock, & glued the gold die cuts to those. I used the same die with the corresponding insert to cut another strip from purple cardstock. I wanted something to break up the gold banners, and give me a third element. I cut a third peach piece to back the purple strip for continuity, & glued them together.

For the background, I applied Golden's Light Molding Paste through Hero Arts' "Deco Pattern" stencil. I left kind of a ragged edge towards the bottom right corner, so I could add a die cut greeting. I die cut the greeting from Hero Arts' "Hello Stamp & Cut" set once from gold & once from the purple I'd used for the third strip. I glued the purple down to my background panel, then layered the gold on top, offset so the purple provided a shadow.

After I decided how long I wanted my banners, I cut each strip to length. I wanted to stitch them, but with the thickness of the layered banners, I couldn't stitch straight through to the card front. So I poked holes along the top of each banner, & stitched with white thread. Then I used liquid tacky glue to glue just the tops of the banners along my panel, lining up the stitching lines & letting the rest of each lift up. Finally, I matted my panel with a light teal cardstock that I'd adhered to a white A2-size card base.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Double Trouble Paper Crafting Challenge #114: "YouNique Technique"

Dies R Us Challenge #195: "Dad's Day/Masculine"

Paper Funday Challenges Challenge #42: "Anything Goes with Optional Twist: Masculine" (playing the twist)

Creative Knockouts Challenge #458: "Something to Say"

Happy Father's Day

If you think it may seem a tad early for Father's Day, you might be right. But, such cards for Send a Smile 4 Kids need to be in to their volunteers by May 15, so they can sort & ship them to children's hospitals in time for the children to give or send them to their fathers. I created this one to donate to them, using Sketch #SC867 at Splitcoaststampers.com as my design inspiration.

I stamped the image, from Hero Arts' "Li'l Hoot" set (discontinued), onto 140 lb. watercolor paper & painted it with my watercolors. I was undecided if I wanted to leave the background the plain white of the watercolor paper, paint it like a night sky (going around the image), or fussy cut the image and glue it to another paper. I finally opted to fussy cut & glue, but then had to decide if I wanted a solid or patterned paper. Choices! I ended up die cutting a circle from navy cardstock & splattered it with white paint for the look of stars - and got some streaks that I thought could be comets or shooting stars.

I have had the banner for some months now. I even forget what I created it for, that it apparently turned out not to work on. But I recently found it in my leftovers box, so decided to pull it out and finally try to find something to use it on. At any rate, I tested the greeting, from the Essentials by Ellen "12 Days Companion Greetings" set (discontinued), against it, & it fit like a glove! So I stamped that in Versafine Onyx Black ink, using my MISTI stamp positioning tool to help me get the greeting curved - and stamped - accurately.

I adhered a cream cardstock panel to my white A2 card base, & added a strip of patterned paper that I had found in my scrap stash. I cut the excess off the strip at the top & bottom. I lightly taped my focal circle to my grid mat, to help me center the greeting banner at the bottom. I used liquid glue to tack the banner to the bottom center of the circle. When the glue had dried enough that the banner wouldn't fall off, I picked up the circle & now-attached banner & glued them to my card.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative Knockouts #449: "Winged Things or Furry Friends"

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge: "Wild and Wonderful" (owls are wild birds, right?)

The Paper Funday Challenges April Challenge #40: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist)

Thanks So Very Much

 

The October Monthly Mix Challenge at Gina K Designs is "Colorblocking." I got the inspiration for the pattern on my card from this photo I found on Pinterest.

The hardest thing about this card was actually figuring out how to do the masking. I finally cut a piece of scrap cardstock to 6x4-1/2", & marked out where I wanted the bands of color. I used a metal ruler & craft knife to cut along the inner line for the outermost section, leaving me with a panel & an L-shaped piece to use as masks.

I cut another panel of white cardstock to 5-1/4x4". I taped my panel mask in place, and inked the outer band with Tumbled Glass Distress Oxide ink. Then I covered that with my L-shaped mask, moved my panel mask 1/2" down and to the left, and inked the next section with Cracked Pistachio Oxide ink. I repeated this process, using Broken China, Evergreen Bough, Mermaid Lagoon, and finally Pine Needles Distress Oxide inks.

I chose a greeting from Gina K's "Autumn Wreath Builder" stamp set. After letting my inked panel dry for several hours, I heat embossed the greeting with Ranger White Super Fine Detail embossing powder. I also heat embossed one of the leaf images on either side of the greeting, just for a bit of decoration & to fill in the space a little more. Finally, I matted my panel with black cardstock, and added it to a white A2-sized card base.

I'm also entering this card in Creative Knockouts Challenge #372: "Embossing Delight."

HBD

Hero Arts has been having a special series of challenges, called "Stay Crafty with Hero." I am entering this card in their current sketch challenge.

I decided to make a masculine birthday card. I chose my background paper from Echo Park's "Jack and Jill" 6x6" pad. I thought the numbers went well with the theme. The pennant paper is from Crate Paper's "Cool Kid" 6x6" pad. The yellow & blue patterned papers I found in my scrap stash. I normally don't use this many patterns on one card, but since the yellow & blue ones are basically tone-on-tone, they really read as solids. To help the papers stand out a bit more, I inked around all but the numbers panel with Hickory Smoke Distress ink.

I chose the "HBD" greeting from Simon Says Stamp's "Stop Drop Party" stamp set. It fit the greeting panel size in the sketch perfectly, and I thought it went with the masculine theme of this card. I stamped it on my blue panel with Delicata Black Shimmer ink.

After I adhered all my layers to my card, I die cut a balloon from dark blue cardstock with a Lawn Fawn "Party Balloons" die. I inked the left side with Hickory Smoke, just to add a bit of shading & dimension, and added the shine mark with a white gel pen. I tied a piece of white crochet twine around the neck, and glued the balloon to my card. Finally, I added 3 dots of glue to the card to tack down the twine, so it would have the appearance of some movement.

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

Dies R Us Challenge #146: "It's Dad's Day (Father's Day/Masculine)"

613 Avenue Create's Challenge #234: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge: "It's a Man Thing"

Never Stop Dreaming

A student my mom tutored for a while is graduating from high school this week. Since he sent her an invitation, a gift is in order. :) As money is always apropos for a graduate headed to college, I made him this card, with a pocket inside to hold a check.

My inspiration for the front design came from this card I saw on Pinterest. I have the same WPlus9 "Dream Believer" stamp set (apparently discontinued), and I liked the somewhat grungy look of the stenciling.

I used The Crafters Workshop "Mini Navajo" stencil and Stormy Sky Distress ink for the background. I actually had to do it 2 times before I got it like I wanted it. Thank heavens there are 2 sides to a sheet of paper! After I finished that, I set the panel up in my MISTI stamp positioning tool. I first stamped the ring for the dreamcatcher with Delicata Golden Glitz ink. I stamped it a few times, just to get a good coverage over the background stenciling. I used dark green & tan inks for the inner pieces, but really didn't like the colors in the end. So I started over from scratch--thankful that I hadn't gone very far! After I did the stenciling--for a third time--I restamped the ring with Golden Glitz. This time I stamped the inner pieces with Hero Arts Cornflower & Chipped Sapphire Distress Oxide inks. His high school colors are blue & gold, so this palette is more fitting anyway.

For the feathers, I used Golden Glitz to stamp the hanging pieces, then Cornflower for the feathers themselves. I ended up using blue acrylic paint to stamp the beads on the hanging pieces, since the inks I was using never gave adequate coverage over the gold. I stamped the detail layer on each feather with Golden Glitz. The inspiration card had silver glitter washi tape (or maybe cardstock) in the lower right corner. Since this card is for a guy, I didn't want that much shine. So I stamped 3 of the brushstroke images from My Favorite Things' "Abstract Art" set (discontinued), one right above the other and overlapping, then stamped a fourth stroke with Golden Glitz.

I used Chipped Sapphire Oxide ink for the greeting, nestling it in the curve of the dreamcatcher. I felt the front was too plain, and considered adding some splatters. But, since splatters can be rather unpredictable & I didn't want to mess up at this point, I got out a new favorite of mine, Nuvo Crystal Drops. I added drops in Navy Blue & Pale Gold in a diagonal path from the upper right to the lower left. I let that dry actually for more than 24 hours in the end, since it took me a couple of days to come back to the card.

Inside of the card

I used this template as a guide for the inside of my card. Because I was making my card 5.5" square, rather than 6x6" as in the template (so I can fit it in an A9 envelope), I had to modify the measurements a bit. That took quite a while and a LOT of math, but I was able to figure it out! :)

I die cut the numbers & letters from gold mirror cardstock, using Winnie & Walter's "Cary Numbers" & "Cary Letters." I had backed the cardstock scrap with Stick It adhesive before die cutting, so I just had to stick the numbers onto each block and burnish them. I cut a piece of Essentials by Ellen 40 lb. vellum to make a pocket. I temporarily taped it to the inside of my card, and poked holes for stitching. I hand-stitched along the 2 sides & bottom with gold thread to attach it to the cardstock. Then I adhered the letters, and burnished them in place.

I thought the area above the pocket was just too plain. I toyed around with stamping confetti in gold ink, but felt that would look better if it was "bursting" up from the pocket, Since I'd already stitched the pocket on, that wasn't an option. So I decided on balloons. I used my Ranger alcohol inks on a piece of Yupo paper to create a panel to die cut them from. I wanted to stick with warm blues, but didn't have any really light shades of ink. I messed with it for quite a while, adding ink, spritzing with 91% rubbing alcohol, squirting on alcohol ink blending solution.... I ended up with a piece that I wasn't overly happy with. But, having spent all that time, I didn't want to waste it, so I added leafing glue, let that dry until it was tacky, and stuck down gold Nuvo gilding flakes.

I die cut my balloons, using Lawn Fawn's "Party Balloons" set, from the best parts of the panel. I tied a piece of gold thread around the bottom of each, and glued the balloons in place with liquid glue. After the glue dried, I pulled the balloon strings together & tied them in a knot. I rolled up a glue dot, added it above the pocket, stuck the knot firmly in that, and added a little bit of powder to deactivate any adhesive that was still exposed. I trimmed off the tops of the balloons that were hanging over the edge of the card, and that finished it!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Creative Knockouts #298: "Favorite Embellishment"
Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Stitches"
613 Avenue Create #221: "Anything Goes" (not playing the twist)

Awesome x2

I have a little different post today. Neat & Tangled is having a tutorial challenge. I don't do video tutorials, so I'm doing a photo tutorial instead. So, grab a cup of your favorite beverage, and let's get going!

Masculine version

I actually made 2 cards, one feminine and one more masculine. I figured, I had everything out, so I might as well take just a few extra minutes to make a second card. I used Neat & Tangled's "Awesome" die set, which cuts out both the word and the shadow. I also used the coordinating "Awesome" stamp set to complete my greeting.

Feminine version

I began by choosing a sketch from Splitcoaststampers as the basis for my design. Next, I picked out my patterned papers. For the masculine version, I chose one from Echo Park's "That's My Boy" 6x6" pad. I used a pattern from Echo Park's "Anything Goes" 6x6" pad for the feminine version.

I cut each paper first to A2 size, then cut the left strip to 2-3/4 wide. I took the remaining piece, flipped it 180 degrees, and trimmed it to 1-3/8" wide, basically taking 1/8" off the left side. This gave me the gap I wanted, while still keeping the pattern continuous. To keep me straight on which panel went which way, I drew a small arrow on the back of each, so I would be sure the patterns matched up.

For the strip on the masculine version, I simply cut a 3/8" strip from the leftover patterned paper, and flipped it over to the orange on the reverse side. No better way to coordinate papers than to use from the same collection! I couldn't do that with the diamond pattern, though, so I just used a green cardstock scrap from my stash.

To help me place my strip in the right place on my card base, I first placed the left patterned panel on the front of the base, and traced along the right edge with a pencil. I used my grid ruler and drew another line 1/8" to the left of that. I then adhered my strip along that line. After that, I just adhered my patterned paper panels in place.

I die cut a heart, with a Nellie's Choice "Straight Heart" die, from a scrap of pink cardstock, for my feminine version. For the masculine, I die cut a star, using a Lifestyle Crafts "Nesting Stars" die. I also die cut the "Awesome" from green cardstock for the feminine and from brown for the masculine. I used Essentials by Ellen 40 lb. vellum for the shadow.

For the stamped greeting, I cut a 1/2" wide strip from the same cardstocks I'd used for the die cut word. I stamped the greeting with Versafine Onyx Black ink, and trimmed the ends of each strip to make a funky banner.

After I ran the word die cuts through my Xyron Sticker Maker, I adhered them to the vellum shadow.

To keep the die cut heart & star straight, I made a small pencil mark where I wanted the middle of each shape to go. I lined up my T-square ruler with that mark, lightly adhered the shape partly on the card & partly on the ruler with my ATG, then just pulled the ruler out from under it. I then adhered my greeting banner to each card. Finally, I used a little Perfect Paper Adhesive liquid glue to glue down the die cut word. These cards came together fairly easily, in under an hour for both!

OMG--Times Two

I've been on kind of a card-making bender, working on new cards for Send a Smile 4 Kids. One type of design they don't seem to get enough of is cards for older kids/teens. So I've been making some that I hope will work for that! I've aimed to make a masculine & a feminine version of each design.

I got the "Slang Gang" stamp set from Paper Smooches at least several months ago. While I have used it some, it hasn't gotten nearly the amount of love it deserves from me. So I decided, while making teen cards, to try and make several with greetings from "Slang Gang." Hopefully, these phrases are still current! :)

For my both of these cards, I used Sketch #SC629 from Splitcoaststampers.com. To begin my feminine version, I cut a panel of patterned paper from The Paper Studio's "So-So-Sweet" mat stack to 4.25x5.5". I lined the panel up on my grid mat, and used the grid lines to help me position one of the "Stitched Basic Edges 2" dies from My Favorite Things. I die cut the panel into 2 pieces, and trimmed 1/2" off the long side of the wider piece.

I cut another A2-size panel from pink cardstock, and embossed that with the "Ben-Day Dots" embossing folder from Cricut/Cuttlebug. I adhered that to a white A2 card base, and used foam tape to adhere my patterned paper background sections on top, leaving a 1/2"-wide gap for the pink to show through.

The greeting stamp I used is all one stamp, but I thought it would be neat to split it into 3, since there are 3 blocks in the sketch I worked from. So I positioned it in my MISTI stamp positioner, masked off the bottom 2 words, inked up the "oh" with Delicata Black Shimmer ink, and stamped it on a piece of pink cardstock I'd cut to size. I put another cardstock piece in my MISTI, repositioned the stamp, masked off the top & bottom this time, and stamped the "em." I repeated once more for the "gee." I made sure, using the already-stamped pieces, to line up the stamp so the words would be in the same approximate place on each piece.

After matting my pink cardstock greeting panels with a narrow black mat, I adhered them to my card. I die cut 3 hearts with a Nellie's Choice "Straight Heart" die (apparently no longer available) from black cardstock, & glued them in place. I felt they needed a little something extra, so I coated each with Star Dust Stickles.

For the masculine version, I basically followed the same steps as for my other one. I used patterned paper from Kaisercraft's "Technologic" 6.5x6.5" pad for the front panel, and a different "Stitched Basic Edges 2" die to cut it. I adhered a dull gold shimmer cardstock to my card base, & popped the patterned paper pieces over that. I used the Black Shimmer ink again for the greeting, though I didn't mat the greeting panels this time. I die cut 3 gears using a die from the "Gearhead" set from Sizzix/Tim Holtz from the same gold cardstock I used for the background. I glued them in place next to the greeting, and that finished this card.

I'm entering my cards in the following challenges:

613 Avenue Create: "Anything Goes" (first card only--not playing the twist)
Die Cut Divas: "Anything Goes" (first card only)
Send a Smile 4 Kids: "Anything Goes 4 Kids" (second card only)

Masculine Happy Birthday

Today is the last day to enter the Fusion 4th Anniversary Card Challenge. I went with both the sketch & the inspiration photo for my card.

I need a few birthday cards for February, so I figured I'd get a head start. One that I need in particular is for a guy, so I decided to use a couple of images in the "Serene Silhouettes" stamp set from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps for my image. After I die cut an oval with a Spellbinders "Classic Ovals LG" die from some Simon Says Stamp Fog cardstock, I stamped my image on that with Hero Arts Charcoal ink. I was going for a softer look to go with the weathered wood in the photo, so I didn't use black.

For the background, I stamped the My Favorite Things "Wood Plank Background" onto a piece of Canson XL watercolor paper that I'd cut to 4.25x5.5". I used Hero Arts Soft Granite ink to stamp, and then blended on some Hickory Smoke Distress ink. It didn't give quite the look I was after, though, so I went over the whole thing with Peacock Feathers Distress ink, using a very light hand. I like how it still has a weathered wood look, but contrasts with the other elements on my card.

To make my image stand out just a bit more, I inked around the edges a couple of times with Hickory Smoke. I adhered that to my card front, allowing room for a greeting and accent strips.

I stamped a greeting from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' "Happy Birthdays" onto a strip of teal cardstock. I again used Charcoal ink, but double-stamped this time to get a little darker impression. I trimmed the strip to be a bit longer than the greeting. I also cut a teal strip to 0.5x5.5", and a slightly narrower dark grey strip. I cut another strip of grey to go under the greeting. I adhered the teal to my cardstock, the shorter grey strip over that, then the longer grey strip, and finally the greeting. I'm not sure in the end that the overlapping order matters much, but I think it still adds a bit of texture. To finish, I adhered my card front to a white A2 card base.

I'm also entering my card in 613 Avenue Create's Challenge #205: "Anything Goes" (not playing the optional twist).

Shoot for the Moon

I decided to create another card for A Blog Named Hero's "One Layer" challenge. The woman I send cards to for Send a Smile 4 Kids is desperate for boy cards, so I figured this one would work for that! I decided to create a galaxy background, so I used 140 lb. watercolor paper.

I used Hero Arts' "Shoot for the Moon" stamp set. I began by die cutting 2 circles from masking paper using the "Standard Circles LG" & "Standard Circles SM" die sets from Spellbinders. After I determined where everything would go, I stamped Saturn with Colorbox Putty archival dye ink. I colored it with my Inktense pencils, using a damp paintbrush to pick up the color & apply it to the paper. I then stamped it again with Versamark ink, & clear heat embossed it to seal in the color.

To create the moon & Earth, I placed the negative of my circle masks on my card panel. I used an ink dauber to blend a light coat of Scattered Straw Distress ink onto the larger opening (for the moon), and then made "craters" with Stormy Sky Distress ink. I used another dauber to ink over the whole thing with Lawn Fawn Yeti pigment ink. The yellow & blue areas show through, but it's still subtle. Finally, I stamped my greeting with Versafine Onyx Black ink. For Earth, I blended Broken China Distress ink through my mask, then colored a rough estimation of continents with a green Tombow marker.

For the background, I first masked off my moon & Earth with the masks I'd die cut. I inked over the whole background with Distress inks in Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, & Mermaid Lagoon. When it looked like a hot mess, I knew it was time to add the black! :) I inked over the whole panel with Black Soot Distress ink. This is always kind of scary, because the risk of ruining your whole panel is there. But I think this actually came out to be the best I've ever done! After I'd finished inking, I spattered 2 colors of Gansai Tambi Starry Colors over the panel for stars.

I removed the masks, and replaced the negative masking pieces. I inked Earth & the moon with Versamark, and clear heat embossed them, so they would match Saturn. Finally, I removed my masks & adhered my panel to a white A2 card base.

I'm also entering this card in 613 Avenue Create's Challenge #201: "Anything Goes."

Masculine Birthday Card

The woman I send cards to for Send a Smile 4 Kids has mentioned a couple of times recently that she needs boy cards desperately. So I have been working to make some for my next shipment. This is one that was inspired by the "One Layer" challenge at A Blog Named Hero.

I remembered a lesson in the "Stenciled" class from Online Card Classes that I took ages ago. Jennifer McGuire demonstrated turning the "V-Pattern Mask" from Studio Calico (discontinued) into a diamond design. So I decided to combine that technique with the "LOL" stamp set from Hero Arts to create this one-layer birthday card.

I first stamped the phone from "LOL" in Versafine Onyx Black ink in the center of an A2-size panel of white cardstock. I also went ahead & stamped the greetings in Hero Arts Lime Green & Navy inks. I stamped the little hand icon with Hero Arts Stone Wash ink, & the 2 smiley face emojis with Simon Says Stamp Sunshine ink. The green & yellow inks kind of mooshed on the paper when they dried, so I ended up going over the letters in the greeting and the eyes & mouths on the smiley faces with a white gel pen. Finally, I masked off that area.

For my background, I used Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Lucky Clover, Evergreen Bough, Broken China, Peacock Feathers, Mermaid Lagoon, & Blueprint Sketch Distress inks. I taped my stencil over my panel, and masked off on either side of one of the chevrons. I inked that, moved my masks, inked with the next color, & so on. The Blueprint Sketch ended up being too warm a blue, though, so I inked over that also with Mermaid Lagoon. Finally, I flipped the stencil around & went back the other way with the same colors.

I removed my mask, & drew 2 black lines along either side of the inked diamond pattern. All that was left then was to adhere my panel to a white A2 card base.

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

613 Avenue Create #201: "Anything Goes"
Pile It On #134: "Feathers/Scales and/or No Patterned Paper" (obviously, the latter category)

One in a Million

a2z Scrapbooking's challenge theme this month is "Take Shape." In other words, make a shaped card, using at least one Hero Arts product. I created this card to send to Send a Smile 4 Kids.

I began by die cutting a star from 140 lb. watercolor paper, with a We R Memory Keepers "Nesting Stars" die. I adhered it to a cutting board with repositionable tape runner on the back of the star. I stamped my greeting & several stars from Hero Arts' "Shoot for the Moon" stamp set, & heat embossed them with Ranger Super Fine Detail White embossing powder. I used Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolor paints in green, blue, yellow, & purple to paint areas on the star, then painted over much of it with black watercolor paint to create a galaxy sky look. After that dried, I buffed the paint off the embossed greeting & stars. I added splatters with the White Gold color in my Gansai Tambi Starry Colors watercolor set. Then I let that dry.

For the card base, I die cut 2 more stars with the same die from white 110 lb. cardstock. I scored along one point, and applied Scor Tape above the score line. Then I adhered the other star on top. Finally, I adhered my watercolored star to the card base. Hopefully this will cheer up a hospitalized child!

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

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Make It Masculine"
Dies R Us #74: "Masculine"

Dude, Sup?

Simon Says Stamp's Monday Challenge this week has been "Masculine." I decided to make this card to send to Send a Smile 4 Kids. I used the "Truck Single" stamp from Our Daily Bread Designs & 2 greetings from Paper Smooches' "Slang Gang" stamp set.

I began by creating my background. I cut a piece of white cardstock to 4.25x5.5", and laid a strip of orange washi tape (Recollections brand) at a diagonal. I lined that up on my grid mat, so the tape went horizontally, then used the lines on my mat to space out the rest of my washi tape strips. I added in a black & white tape that makes me think of road markings, since it kind of goes with the truck. After I had applied all the tape, I just trimmed off the overhanging pieces.

For the greeting, I wanted something that might suit a teenage boy. Or, at least, a very tomboyish teenage girl! :) I chose the "dude" & "sup?" stamps from "Slang Gang." I die cut 2 arrows with one of the dies from My Favorite Things' "Blueprints 18" set out of grey cardstock. Then I heat embossed the words with Ranger Super Fine Detail White embossing powder, and set those aside.

I stamped the truck in the lower right corner of a scrap of white cardstock with Memento Tuxedo Black ink. I colored it with my Prismacolor colored pencils, pulling my color scheme from the washi tape I had used. After I'd finished the coloring, I adhered that panel to the bottom front of my white A2 card base.

To pull my design together, I die cut an arc from the bottom of my washi tape panel with the curved die from Avery Elle's "Custom Panels." I tacked my greeting arrows down with a little ATG tape, and stapled the left end of each with my Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher. I added a piece of craft/fun foam to the back of that panel with Scor Tape, and adhered it to my card base, flush with the top edge. This was really a quick card to pull together. Hopefully, it will bring a smile to the recipient's face!

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

Simon Says Stamp's Wednesday Challenge: "Make It Masculine"
Creative Knockouts' Challenge #197: "Washi Tape Wonder"
Dies R Us #74: "Masculine"
Send a Smile 4 Kids: "Anything Goes 4 Kids"

Happy Father's Day Koi

I've been on kind of a "Father's Day card" kick lately, since I want to send several to Send a Smile 4 Kids. (They have to receive cards by May 15, so they have time to ship them to the hospitals they serve.) I think Father's Day cards are hard to create when you're not creating them for a specific man. Not so much because they are masculine cards, but because you don't know what the recipient is into. So I just try to make them generally masculine. I don't know where (or when) I got this koi stamp, or who makes it, but I figured it would fit for a Father's Day card!

I stamped the koi onto a scrap of 140 lb. watercolor paper with Versafine Onyx Black ink. I colored them with my Inktense pencils, kind of following photos I found online for how the colors might go. I also colored the background, first using color from a blue pencil, then over that with green, so they look like they are swimming in a pond.

For the "wood" panels, I stamped the "Wood Pallet Background" from Altenew (a new one for me) onto a piece of cream cardstock with Hero Arts Cup o' Joe ink. I inked over it with Brushed Corduroy Distress ink, followed by a coat of Pumice Stone ink, to give it a worn, weathered-wood look. My idea was to emulate a pier by the koi pond.

I cut a strip to go between the 2 woodgrain panels, and printed one of the greetings from Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps' "Father's Day Sentiments" digi set onto the bottom. I inked around the edges with Iced Spruce Distress ink, and then adhered that & the woodgrain panels to a piece of green cardstock. I inked the edges of the focal panel with Iced Spruce as well. After punching a piece of blue cardstock with Fiskars' "Threading Water" border punch (apparently discontinued), I cut it into a strip, inked the edges, & adhered it to the image panel so it's peeking out below. Finally, I glued the focal panel onto my card front, and mounted that to a white A2 card base.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Send a Smile 4 Kids: "For Dads or Special Males (From the Kids)"
613 Avenue Create #197: "Anything Goes"
Pile It On #130: "Animals"

Best Dad Ever

The current challenge theme at Lawn Fawnatics is "Black, White, & Bright." Use black & white, with a bright pop of color. I decided to make a Father's Day card with gold accents to donate to Send a Smile 4 Kids, using Lawn Fawn's "Best Pun Ever" stamp set & coordinating dies. (After all, what color is brighter than gold? 😊)

I began by stenciling a piece of white cardstock with Black Soot Distress ink & Hero Arts "Flag Pattern" stencil. I trimmed the panel to 4x5.25", & rounded the corners with my 1/4" Corner Chomper. Then I set that aside while I worked on the rest of my card.

For the focal panel, I first die cut a mat from Canson XL Mixed Media paper, using the "Stitched Journaling Card" die from Lawn Fawn. I inked it in a gradient using Faded Jeans, Blueprint Sketch, & Dusty Concord Distress inks. Then I used my Distress Sprayer to spritz water droplets on the panel, waited a few seconds, and used a dry cloth to soak up the water & ink. That left nice "bleached" spots on my background, to add interest.

I stamped the trophy (from "Best Pun Ever") on some gold foil cardstock with Ranger Archival Jet Black ink. After stamping the "#1" in Jet Black, I heat set it to keep the ink from smearing. Then I cut that with the coordinating die. I also die cut a banner from cardstock with another die from "Stitched Journaling Card," I stamped "best dad ever," from "Best Pun Ever," in Jet Black ink on that.

To put my focal panel together, I first die cut several gold glitter stars using the stars from "Stitched Journaling Card." I carefully cut a slit in the top of the trophy, and adhered it to my background with foam tape. After adhering my journaling card panel to my background, I glued down my stars, tucking 2 into the trophy, making them look like they are bursting out from the trophy. I adhered my greeting banner in place, and glued the final star next to that. I matted the background with black cardstock, mounted that to a white A2 card base, and rounded the outer corners of the card with my 1/4" Corner Chomper.

Thinking of U

I recently saw this tutorial on a "faux stamped leather" technique, and decided to give it a try. I wanted to make a specifically masculine card to send in my package to Darlene at Live Love Cards, to go to a Meals on Wheels recipient.

I didn't have any really suitable stamps in my collection, so I went through my dies. I came across the "Foliage 2" set from Paper Smooches, which I had yet to use. I decided one of those would be perfect to make a stamp. So I die cut it from 3mm thick craft foam, and stuck that on an acrylic block.

First, I die cut a piece of kraft cardstock with the largest of Spellbinders' "Labels Eight" dies. I stamped the leaf image multiple times around the panel with Hero Arts Cup o' Joe ink. I tried to keep it looking random by turning the stamp in different directions as I worked. Once I finished stamping, I put my panel on a mouse pad, rubbed over it with wax paper to make debossing a little easier, and traced loosely around each image with my stylus.

Next, I placed the "Labels Eight" die over the panel, with the cutting line face down, and traced around the inside of the die lightly with a pencil. I used my paper piercer to poke holes along my pencil line, then erased the line. This created stitching holes.

To ink the panel, I began with Fossilized Amber Distress ink, blending it over the entire piece. Then I blended Rusty Hinge, followed by Vintage Photo & a touch of Ground Espresso (all Distress inks). As I got darker, I added ink over smaller areas of the cardstock, finally blending the Ground Espresso only around the perimeter. After I had the "leather" look, I chose a light tan embroidery floss, and did a back stitch around the perimeter, using the holes I'd pierced before inking.

I used Hero Arts' "Year Round Sentiments" for the first part of my greeting. I masked off the "you" on the stamp, inked it with Cup o' Joe, removed the mask, and stamped the "Thinking of" on a strip of kraft cardstock. I die cut the "U" from more kraft with one of Simon Says Stamp's "Big U" dies, and inked it with Cup o' Joe to make it stand out more. Then I glued the banner to the "U," weaving it into the letter, and cut off the excess banner so it stopped behind the "U," before gluing everything to my card front panel.

For my card base, I cut 2 pieces of white cardstock with the same "Labels Eight" die. I scored one at 1/2" from the end for the back of my card, to create a hinge. I applied ATG adhesive above the score line, and adhered my other white panel to that. Finally, I glued my main panel to the front of my card base.

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