Pricking of My Thumbs

Gosh, it feels too early to be making a Halloween card but soon I'll be in the Xmas card mood so best do it while I can.  This one used a new product to me:  PaperArtsy Infusions Orange County.  It reminded me of Brushos but with a mix of crystals and powders.  Very cool results.  I use a colored pencil to enhance the light coming from the lantern

I'm entering this in The Paper Players #405 Color Challenge

The Details:  Oxford Impressions Dance Macabre, PaperArtsy Alison Bomber 04, PaperArtsy Infusions Orange County, Versafine Onyx Black, Tim Holtz Speciality Stamping Paper, Premiere Colored Pencil

SOSS #116 - D is for Denim

Oh, you sassy things, are you ready for another SOSS Challenge!  This time the keyword is "denim." Denim fabric, denim blue, denim whatever.

I started my card by sponging the background in Distress Ink Vintage Photo, using a die cut negative for the horizon. It's the desert so tan on tan. Boring. But the cowgirl is all sassified in her red, white and blue outfit which really pops out as do her attributes.  Not only did I used denim blue but I used actual denim on my card.  Actual denim? Where? Well, if you look closely, that cowgirl's outfit has been textured by dabbing it with a swatch of denim dampened with Copic 0. It's such an easy way to create a bit of interest.

I love, and am frankly amazed, that I had the perfect washi and designer paper to create the grounding banners.  And the alpha stamps. I'm going to be using those a lot. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to find an actual stamp that says that. LOL.

The Details:  Bombshell Stamps Retro Cowgirl, Taylored Expressions Alpha Blocks, Craftin Desert Divas Southwest Border, Doodlebug Design Down on the Farm 6x6 Paper, PTI Banner Die, Versafine Onyx Black, mystery washi, Copics, Memento Tuxedo Black, Distress Ink Vintage Photo

Live the Life

Here I'm using a Gelli print as raindrops.  I loved the print as it turned out but it had a lot going on as you can see from the snippets so I selectively die cut my fav bits. I also like the purples against the lemongrass paper, an unusual choice for me.

I started by stamping the silhouette and sentiment--this comes from a TH set that I'd had so long without using it that I put it in this summer's garage sale.  Good thing it didn't sell!  Next I stenciled some vertical lines using Distress Oxide. Glue on those raindrops then trim to size = fab!

I'm entering this in Shopping Our Stash #366 Silhouettes, Simon Says Wednesday Distress It

The Details:  Tim Holtz Life's Possibilities, vertical lines stencil, dotty stencil, TCW Rain stencil, Liquitex Acrylic Paints, Versafine Onyx Black, Flavours Gourmet Lemongrass cardstock, Distress Oxide Wilted Violet

Admire the Flowers

Another Gelli print card. A bit of brick and crumpled up plastic worked wonders.  I used PaperArtsy Seth Apter Fresco Chalk Paints Set 1 alonge with some copper shimmer paint although I couldn't capture the shimmer with the camera.  I also added some Distress Crackle Paint through a stencil to create additional subtle flowers and texture.  Oh!  And I got some of the Tim Holtz Botantical Layers so used one of the flowers from that.  I was surprised how sturdy those are.  Very cool.

The Details:  PaperArtsy Seth Apter Fresco Chalk Paints Set 1, TCW Brick Stencil, Tim Holtz Botanical Layers, Ranger Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint, PTI Choose Joy sentiment

Raining Flowers

I'm up on the Topflight Stamps blog today with a whimsical interactive card.  Shake it!

The Details: That's Crafty Magda Polakow The Mama Bear Collection, That's Crafty Magda Polakow Smile 8x8 Stencil, Clarity Stencil Brushes, MFT Cloud Shaker Window & Pouch, Distress Oxide Salty Ocean, Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black and Love Letter, Copics, Ranger Glossy Accents, Love Cynthia sequins, Doodlebug Designs Sugar Coating Glitter

Every Bit of Wonderful

Some of the recent Gelli prints aren't particularly suited as backgrounds for my style of cards but used as accents, they rock.  I used one to cut out the flowers here.  Reminder to future self:  use either 80lb or deli paper for the prints as the 140lb used here was a pain to fussy cut.  I used the Copic airbrush to create a quick background with a great fade.  So much easier than sponging for me.

I'm entering this in CAS Mix Up August, AAA CAS #121 Friendship

The Details:  Ranger Dyan Reaveley Everything's Rosy, Simon Says Stamp Uplifting Thoughts, Memory Box Dancing Butterflies, Copics (YG01 and 03), Doodlebug Washi, Versafine Onyx Black, Ranger Archival Jet Black, Clarity Chrysanthemum Stencil, Liquitex Acrylics

Cards in Envy Something New

Time for a new challenge at Cards in Envy--please show us something new. It could be a new technique, new ink, new stamp, or about anything as long it's new to you and you let us know what it is. In my case, I'm using a new stamp, die and stencil. 

I started out by sponging the upper half of my card base with Peacock Feathers Distress Oxide. Next I die cut the window and sponged it with Salty Ocean, making the color a bit darker at the top in keeping with the base. I realized afterwards that I had cut the window crooked so I used the rectangle die to rectify that--whew!

Coloring up the genie was extra fun--man boobs! He's rockin' that bod. Defined but not defined by working out excessively, you know? Yummers. LOL.

The Details: Hero Arts Make a Wish and December 2018 Card Kit, Distress Oxides, Versafine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Simon Says Stitched Rectangle Die

Autumn . . .

I saw that over at CAS Mix Up that one of the ingredients for August is a stencil monoprint which I now have plenty of after last weekend's mega Gelli plate experiment. Woo hoo!

This is the second print or whatever's that called.  The leaves were completed free of paint so I was able to reuse the stencil and sponge Distress Oxides there. I love the effect, especially after I spattered water. There's just something about all the dotty goodness that makes me happy dance!

I'm also entering this in Simon Says Wednesday Make Your Own Background

The Details:  PaperArtsy Alison Bomber Autumn Edition EAB04, Tim Holtz Stencil, Liquitex Acrylic Paints, Gelli plate, Simon Says Stitched Rectangle Die, Ranger Archival Jet Black, Distress Oxides, mystery washi, Hero Arts dusky purple cardstock from one of the kits

TFS - Singing Cat

I'm up on the Topflight Stamps blog today with another Gelli print background card. Sing your heart out!

The Details:  Katzelkraft The Fat Cats 6, PaperArtsy Seth Apter Fresco Chalk Paints Set 1, MFT Brick Stencil, Stamporations Noteworthy and Wonky Stitches Rectangle die, Tim Holtz Dotty Stencil, Hero Arts Unicorn Pigment Ink, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics, Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink, Paper Studio Washi

Year After Year

A birthday card for my older sister using one of the Gelli prints.  The paint blurp formed a highlighted oval which reminded me of a speech bubble.  I think it formed because my paint was too wet or dry when I applied the next layer.  Sure, why not?

I’m entering this in Simon Says Wednesday Make Your Own Background, Tuesday Throwdown #403 Stenciling,

The Details:  IndigoBlu Think Evil Thoughts, Taylored Expressions Block Alpha, TCW Numbers Stencil, Tim Holtz Dotty Stencil, Liquitex Acrylic Paints, Ranger Archival Jet Black, Memory Box Dancing Butterflies, Stamplorations Wonky Stitched Rectangle Die