Oh, My Stars!

I am loving how this turned out.  Anybody else reminded of the Looney Toons cartoon starring Bugs Bunny and Gossamer where Bugs pretends to be a hairdresser?

Nothing much to tell on this card.  I sponged the stars using a fab gold pigment ink, die cut the speech bubble (cannot get enough of this new die at the moment--working on another card idea using it and crossing my fingers it turns out), added the sentiment then sponged the stars on the speech bubble (because it hadn't occurred to me to extend the stars onto the speech bubble until afterwards--wasn't a problem at all).  Here's another pic so you can see how I curved out the speech bubble. I used a double stack of foam tape just down the middle of the diecut then used Glossy Accents to glue down the ends for that effect.

The Details:  Delicata Golden Glitz, Hampton Art clear embossing powder, Versafine, Memory Box die, Recollections white cardstock, Lil' Inker sentiment, foam tape, Glossy Accents, black glossy cardstock for base, Heidi Swapp stencil

I'm entering this in Daring Cardmakers CAS, Addicted to CAS #45 Geometric, The Male Room Seeing Stars, AAA #17 Stencil, Simply Create Too #69 Something New

Cheeky

I cannot believe I made this.  For my stepson's birthday tomorrow no less.  But he will love it.  I found a pattern here and got the idea from Louise at the Male Room.

The Details:  PTI sentiment and white cardstock, mystery ruffled ribbon, Martha Stewart designer paper, Versamark, Ranger gold embossing powder, Hot Off the Press Simply Susan butterflies, Stampabilities dashed line stamp for the gold chain, Memento Love Letter

I'm entering this in Sweet Stamps #184 Masculine Birthday,  Seize the Birthday without B/W topping, Simon Says Anything Goes

Bright baby card

This baby card is for a colleague from Uganda whose wife just had the cutest baby girl.  Bright happy card for a bright happy couple!

The Details:  mystery designer paper from my kid sis, PTI sentiment and cardstock base, VersaFine, Hampton Arts clear embossing powder, silver brads, Spellbinders die

I'm entering this in Fab 'n' Funky #226 For the Kids, Allsorts #273 Warm Sunshiny Colors, Loves Rubberstamps #118 Two or More Pattern Papers

Just Because

While I was visiting the CASE Study 4th anniversary 3rd week blog hop, I was really struck by Aga's card that Julie Ebersole had CASed.  I just kept coming back to it over the last few days which is a sure sign I should make one of my own, huh?

I decided to mix it up a very tiny bit by adding gray for the sentiment.  Otherwise, I stuck pretty close to Aga's--bold floral, simple sentiment, scattering of bling and random splotches of color.  If you look closely, you'll see that the Gansai Tambi watercolor is shiny too; I just dabbed some water into the pan and used it in a very undiluted state.  I've found that GT's remain shiny when applied thickly like that.

I'm including a pic of Frankie today.  He's sleeping in a cool basket made of paper that I picked up at a charity yard sale.  I just threw a towel in the bottom and now it's his favorite place to craft (okay, mainly sleep but it allows me to craft so win-win).

The Details:  Gansai Tambi watercolors, Hot Off the Press Simply Susan stamp, PTI white cardstock and sentiment, Versafine black onyx, Memento London Fog, Pretty Pink Posh 4mm clear sequins, Glossy Accents as glue

I'm entering this in CASE Study 4th Anniversary 3rd week, Addicted to Stamps & More #109 CAS

Feminine Happy Birthday

I got a fab new background stamp from Penny Black recently.  Rather than using the stamp as is with the floral bits as the parts that wouldn't ink up, I used Versamark and clear embossing powder to stamp it, watercolored the flowers and greenery, then ironed off the embossing.  I have finally achieved presentable no-line watercoloring!!  Mwahaha!

I diecut the resulting background panel using stitched rectangle die which I mounted with foam tape.  I used a double layer of vellum so it would be easier to read.  I also curved out the banner a bit when I glued it down on the ends but that effect went away overnight.  Odd.  Finally, I scattered some gold sequins.

The Details:  Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Distress Inks (Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn, Peeled Paint, Spiced Marmalade), Avery Elle So Happy sentiment, Penny Black Floral Tapestry stamp, Versamark, Hampton Arts clearing embossing powder, Ranger gold embossing powder

I'm entering this in CAS(E) This Sketch #89, Crazy for CAS #51 Watercoloring, Penny Black & More Anything Goes, Seize the Birthday Anything Goes, Fusion Bright Floral Inspiration Photo

Gotta Wear Shades

I immediately thought of the Seattle skyline when I saw Jennifer Rzasa's card for the CASE Study 4th Anniversary blog hop and I then knew what to do with the wedding card I had been asked to make for someone who had just gotten married in the UK--colorful love from Seattle!  

This time I used Gansai Tambi watercolors which can be made extremely bright by using less water or very subtle by adding lots of water as with the sky background.  Hard to capture on film but the sky's quite lovely with lots of variation--more like a true Seattle sky.  I also moved the sentiment closer to the skyline; I quite prefer this location.  Just like our city, your eye is immediately drawn to the Space Needle and then you take a look around at the other color elements here. 

Fun Fact:  We here in Seattle buy the most sunglasses per capita than any other US city.  I kid you not.

Card Details:  Gansai Tambi watercolors, Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Versamark black onyx, Savvy Space Needle die, Memory Box Cityscape Nightline die, Impress sentiment, Pop Tone black licorice cardstock

Another Sympathy Card

Can you believe I have needed 3 sympathy cards in the last 2 weeks?  All elderly parents of colleagues.  Sigh.

I wanted to go very simple and soothing with this one.  My colleague is from Norway and very down to Earth so I think the card fits him.  I was originally going to stamp the sentiment without the vellum but I wanted to dress the card up a bit.  I taped the vellum down from the back side then stamped the sentiment.  I then mounted the lot to hide the tape.

I also did a one layer version during the design process.  Which do you prefer?

Cuteness of the day:  Frankie is sleeping on my desk and snoring ever so gently.  Awww.


The Details:  PTI ginkgo stamp, Clearly Besotted Thinking of You sentiment, Memento Pear Tart, Distress Ink Walnut Stain, Recollections white coverstock, Bazzill Basics Rock Candy cardstock

I'm entering the OLC card in Less Is More #184 OLC Foliage,

Rainbow Fireworks

CASE Study is having a blog hop sort of thing where you can visit the blogs they've listed and then choose the card you want to CASE from there.  Cool idea, huh?

I really liked the card by Laura Bassen so I took from it the rainbow, graphic stamp and sentiment stamped over the lot.  On its side, cuz that's how I roll.  LOL.  I embossed the sentiment for added pizzazz and scored above and below to anchor it.  Looks a bit like fireworks, sparklers, candle flames, Spirograph.  Fun!

The Details:  Distress Inks Mowed Lawn, Barn Door, Squeezed Lemonade, Salty Ocean, Spiced Marmalade; Recollections 100 lb cardstock base, Martha Stewart score board, PTI sentiment, VersaFine Onyx Black, Hampton Art clear embossing powder, Inkadinkado dot stamp

Birthday Rose

I've been toying with this design for a while now--I'm absolutely obsessed with yellow roses lately since I pass a gorgeous rose bush with amazingly fragrant yellow blooms on my way to the parking garage after work.  It's not quite what I had in my mind's eye but it'll do, pig, it'll do.  So far my favorite technique with the Gansai Tambi watercolors is doing wet on dry to create depth of color.

The background was a happy accident.  I was testing the various blues and dropped my brush laden with a deep blue on my card.  Argh!  I had to mush on so washed the entire background with the blue (similar to the lower left corner).  In my mind I'd already ruined the card so I decided to try to super saturate the blue area and lift off the blue with a paper towel.  I love how that turned out--dreamy.

As an FYI I went to Michael's yesterday and found they had a ream of 100 sheets of 100 lb white cardstock for $8 with coupon.  I generally use PTI white cardstock (my fav!!) for my bases but this is an excellent substitute.  I will definitely feel less guilty when I try and try again.  LOL

The Details:  Tim Holtz watercolor paper, PTI white paper, Recollections cardstock base, Simon Says woodgrain cardstock, Lil' Inker sentiment, Inkadinkado rose stamp, Gansai Tambi watercolors, foam tape

I'm entering this in Seize the Birthday, 101/102 Watercolor Anything Goes, Penny Black Anything Goes, Fusion Beach House, Tuesday Throwdown #207 Mellow Yellow, Crafty Creations #269 Flower Power, Little Tangles #42 Happy Birthday, Shopping Our Stash #163 Splish Splash

Rock Out!

I didn't think I was going to get any crafting time in this weekend--what a busy one!  I managed to squeeze in time to play along at CASology since there were so many possibilities.  I  paired that with the ATC Gold challenge and use a cool new comic book inspired stamp set.


First, I spritzed the cardstock with Shimmer Mist.  I then stamped the image in VersaMark then embossed in gold.  I kept going with the gold and sponged gold pigment ink using a sunburst die I had cut using the Cameo.  The sentiment fit perfectly within the speech bubble die.  I added the sequins for just a little extra bling--they're nearly transparent with gold flakes And finally I mounted on a gold cardstock that reminds me of snakeskin and again on black.  Glam sparkles make me happy! 

The Details:  Brilliance Galaxy Gold, Versamark, gold embossing powder, VersaFine Onyx Black, Penny Black speech bubbles, PTI white cardstock, foam tape, Glossy Accents, Fiskars Kapow! sentiment, Inkadinkado In the Groove stamp, Recollections embossed gold designer paper, PopTone Black Licorice cardstock base

I'm entering this in Addicted to CAS #44 Gold, Simon Says Make it Sparkle, CASology #107 Stripe, Penny Black Anything Goes

Butterfly Birthday

I am loving this bright, happy, summery butterfly.  So many challenges have been about butterflies recently that next thing you know, I've got butterflies on the brain and ink on my fingers.

This card is for the mother of an Indian woman I know so I tried to pull in the colors and a touch of the exotic that I think of with that culture.  I used 4 colors of Spectrum Noirs to create all those variations by starting with a color on one side then another color on the other and overlapping them in the middle.  I fussy cut the image out which with this stamp is so easy to do--this coming from someone who hates fussiness.  I sponged the background really quickly, fading out at the edges like I like. 

The Details:  Hero Arts butterfly stamp and Operation Write Home sentiment (hugs & kisses), Marianne Dies birthday die, Spectrum Noirs LY1, CT2, IB2 and BP2, trellis stencil made with my Cameo, Distress Ink Shabby Shutters

I'm entering this in Addicted to Stamps & More #107 Make Your Mark, A Blog Named Hero #49 Die a Little or a Lot, Time Out Challenges #11 Celebrations with optional butterfly, Seize the Birthday without optional monochromatic yellow,  CAS on Sunday #39 Butterfly, Butterfly Challenge #12 Summertime, Hero Arts OLC

Chubby Chums Go Back to School

 

I am still so loving Chubby Chums (I'm not fat--I'm big-boned!).  These cards are going to two sisters as they head back to school so I wanted them to be alike enough to reduce competition but different enough to be uniquely her own.

For each card I used painter's tape to create a frame before sponging.  For the hills I cut a curve in a piece of scrap and sponged away.  Next, I took a Spellbinders scalloped circle die and cut out a make shift cloud mask to sponge the clouds.

For the bird card, I wanted a very fresh, clean and girly look so I chose to emboss the bird and Hero Arts sentiment in white.  I was very pleased the sentiment remained easy to read.  I colored the bird in Spectrum Noirs and fussy cut it out, lopping off the bow on its head and using twine for that instead.  I then mounted the bird on a branch cut out of scrap.

I wanted an edgier look for the dog card so used Versafine Onyx Black and clear embossing powder for the dog.  I then colored him in a bright purple and gave him some brindling with white speckles.  I wanted the sentiment to pop too so used a speech bubble. 


The Details:  PTI white cardstock, Spectrum Noirs (bird: BP1, BP2, CT2, CT4, OR1) (dog: PL2, PL3, IB3), Stampendous Detail White embossing powder, Hampton Art clear embossing powder, VersaFine, VersaMark, Memory Box branch die, Hero Arts MX261 sentiment, Paper Smooches Chubby Chums, foam tape, baker's twine (white strand only), Distress Ink Tumbled Glass, Memento Pear Tart, mask made from Spellbinders Scalloped Circle die, Marianne fence die, Penny Black speech bubble die, Sakura white pigment pen

I'm entering these in Paper Smooches Anything Goes, Hero Arts One Layer, Fab 'n' Funky Walk on the Wild Side, Time Out #11 Celebrations, Penny Black Anything Goes  

sMOOches!

It's time for another fun challenge over at House of Cards.  This time we ask you to use a sketch that you can flip this way or that if you like.  Mix it up and come join us!

For my card, I immediately thought of a fence when I saw the horizontal bars on the sketch.  I tried a couple of browns but then my cow seemed very color lonely so I embossed the wood border stamp in white instead.  Let's pretend the fence was painted yesterday . . . in semi-gloss.  LOL.   I sponged a scrap of cardstock with two shades of green and diecut the grass so that the eye would be drawn back up to that adorable sentiment (remarkably easy to ink it up in two colors btw).  I finally fussy cut the cow and mounted her on foam tape.

I think this is a great card for a guy although not for mine who asked, "What the heck is that word?"  Dude, really?  No sMOOches for you!  ;-)

The Details:  Paper Smooches Chubby Chums stamps, PTI white cardstock, Bazzill cardstock (love that color green), Impression Obsession grass die, Neat and Tangled On the Strip 2 stamp, Memento Tuxedo Black and Lady Bug, Distress Mowed Lawn and Peeled Paint

Tree of Love

For this wedding card I wanted to go gender-neutral, modern and yet traditional at the same time for a couple who are getting married next week. 

I spattered a variety of Distress Inks in the general shape of a tree top, used a bit of ink and clear water to create the idea of leaves then added a few limbs and the trunk.  The sentiment I stamped in two shades of Memento.  I then mounted the image on a pale gray cardstock and mounted that on a darker gray-green A7 cardstock which is a style of photo matting that I love.

The Details:  Tim Holtz Distress Inks and watercolor paper, PTI Soft Stone cardstock and Mighty Oak sentiment, Memento Rich Cocoa and Love Letter, Stampin' Up Versatile Verses sentiment inside, Bazzill Basics Rock Candy cardstock

I'm entering this in Allsorts #270 Favorite Things (watercolor!!!),  Time Out #11 Celebrations, AAA #14 Watercolors