You're Awesome

Happy Leap Year Day!

Card 2 in preparation for the upcoming Stampin' Up shindig.  Do you think this one would make a good make n' take?  One layer with embossing and using the diecut as a mask for sponging.  Looks all fancy but was soooo easy.  Love that!

Remember, if you like what you see, consider hopping over to Tonya's site to pick up the set and use the code 9HZBDHKP which you enter in a new field under the special offers section of the online order shopping bag.  More inspiration with this set to come!

The Details:  SU Rose Garden Thinlits and Botanticals for You sentiment, Distress Inks Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, and Crushed Olive, Versafine Onyx Black, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base, Pretty Pink Posh raindrops

I'm entering this in CAS on Sunday #77 OLC, Simon Says Wednesday Anything Goes, AAA #59 Embossing

The World is Your Canvas

And mine!  Since we do HIV research in Africa, I was sooooo excited to see that the new Stampin' Up Going Global set uses Africa rather than the US as the focus of the globe.  Perfect timing as graduation season is coming up which means some of our graduate students at work will be heading into the real world soon.

For this card I inked up the globe with 3 colors of Distress Ink that blend together well then I spritzed with just a tiny mist of water.  I immediately stamped on watercolor paper and let the stamp sit for a few more seconds than I would normally--don't know if that made a difference but I sure do like how this turned out!

And thanks to Tonya for letting me borrow more than a few of her SU sets!  They are addictive so you'll be seeing quite a few SU cards from me in the next few weeks as we prepare for an SU par-te.  If you care to use it, the hostess code is 9HZBDHKP which you enter in a new field under the special offers section of the online order shopping bag.

I'm entering this in CASology #186 Distress, CAS(E) This Sketch! #161 

The Details:  SU Going Global, Stamplorations Subway Art Builders, Distress Ink Mermaid Lagoon, Mustard Seed, Picked Raspberry, VersaFine Onyx Black, Simon Says stitched rectangle die, Recollections 110lb white and black cardstock, Tim Holtz watercolor cardstock

SU Going Global

Stamplorations Subway Art Builders

Another Foiled Christmas Card

As I was playing with foil I wondered if I could print an image and stamp over it before foiling.  Would the ink make the foil not stick?  Not at all--worked like a charm!   Would the foil be hard to see?  Depends on the color of the foil and the background.   I liked it best with a soft background and bold foil.

Yet another way to use foil in my cards. Imagine the layering effects with some ink behind and some on top of the foil.  Swoon!

The Details:  Black Deco foil, Hammermill color copy 80# cardstock, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base, snowflake clipart, Hero Arts Soft Granite, Momenta background stamp

I'm entering this in Jingle Belles Text Me, Fab n Funky #293 Christmas, The Male Room #29 Monochromatic, Holly Jolly #66 Getting Sentiment-al

Stamplorations - Art Marks Special Release

We're having a special hop in celebration of a new Stamplorations set called Art Marks.  Isn't it fab?  You can grab the set with a 10% discount until March 2.  AND you have until Friday, February 26, at 11:55pm PST to leave a comment on the Stamplorations blog and maybe win the set.  Woot woot!

Do you think grunge when you look at the set?  Me too!  But I also saw flowers.  Ranunculuses to be precise.  Ranunculi?  Ranunculae?  Well, apparently spellcheck couldn't spot a ranunculus if it were standing on top of one.  LOL.   For the big flowers, I used the large swirl circle then the small inside and finally one of the bullseyes from the string of them inside of that.  I used Distress inks and let the colors meld as they would when I applied water.  The stems and leaves I free-handed using an angular shader brush.  I embossed the sentiment on vellum and added a sprinkling of butterflies.

The Details:  Stamplorations Noteworthy and Art Marks, Distress Inks Carved Pumpkin, Picked Raspberry, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed and Mowed Lawn, PTI kraft cardstock, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base, Versamark, Stampendous detail fine black embossing powder

Stamplorations CAS February Mid-Challenge Reminder!

Hey, you!  Have you joined in the Stamplorations CAS February challenge yet?  It's anything goes with the optional twist of red.  You can enter up to three times so pop on over and join in the fun!

Although Valentine's Day is past, I'm still hung up on hearts and more hearts.  Could it be because I couldn't resist picking up some Valentine crafty supplies on clearance?  Mayhaps!  Here I made a heart mask and temporarily adhered it over the Fond Expressions 2 sentiment.  Then I randomly placed washi and cut around the mask before lifting it off.  Voila!  The only thing to remember during the cutting stage is to put a minimal amount of pressure on your craft knife as washi is really thin and you don't want to cut through the cardstock beneath.  For my final step I embossed the front of the card with a PTI linen impression plate to complete the homespun look.  Love this to the moon and back!

I'm entering this in City Crafter #299 Negativity (use negative space of diecut), Moving Along with the Times #14 Words Only  

Sending Hugs

First time using this Altenew set and I loves it.  Lots of little spriggy bits I was able to use to make my own arrangement.  Nice!

I started out coloring the large flower (camellia?).  I fussy cut that out after adhering it to a second piece of cardstock to make it sturdier.  I next stamped out a few sprigs and colored them.  Love the combo.  I wasn't initially satisfied with the green so went back and added some G07 to give it a little more pop.  The banner hides my initial sentiment placement.  I just didn't like it so covered up the ugly and curved it out.  I am so into adding a bit of 3D into my cards lately--okay, you've not seen them yet but you will.  Promise.  The flower is popped up on foam for even more dimension.  A clean and layered card makes me happy!

Oh!  The background is embossed with the PTI linen texture plate.  Definitely one of my desert island craft supplies!  LOL

The Details:  Altenew Beautiful Day, VersaFine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Simon Says stitched rectangle die, Hammermill color copy cardstock panel, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base, Copic Y00, Y32, Y35, R02, R05, R08, G07, YG61, YG63, BG000, BG0000, BG01, BG05, BG53

I'm entering this in the Card Concept #49 Floral Radiance, Paper Players PP282 Colors, Addicted to CAS #80 Bloom,

Love washi

This card amuses me.  I tried my darnedest to dam up the shaker windows but there's a micro gap between the heart at the top and the next down.  As I was admiring my work by shaking the heck out it, I realized that the first heart looked like it didn't have as much glitter.  Shook it more.  Even less glitter.  WTF?  Then I looked down at my desk and realized I was hemorraging glitter everywhere.  I was able to shore up the dam but glitter glitter everywhere!

The Details:  Lifestyle Crafts heart dies, Papertrey Ink love die, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base and panel, sequins from Target, Waltzing Mouse scalloped stitched rectangle die, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Stampendous glitter mix, Judikins window plastic

I'm entering this in Mod Squad From the Heart,  AAA #57 Love Me Like You Do!, SIP #34 Love!, Just Add Ink #298 Just Add "V", CAS on Sunday #76 Valentine

Love Shaker

A cute Valentine shaker today for a tween.  The request:  girly, glitter, hearts.

First, I embossed the card front. I diecut the heart next, then Love twice--once from the front panel, and once from leftover foil cardstock.  Finally I diecut the panel into a stitched rectangle.  Note I wanted a subtle embossing so I had done that first--by the end, it had gone through the machine twice without the folder. You'd want to emboss after the last of the diecutting if you want a more pronounced effect.

The shaker portion was standard stuff.  After applying the plastic to the back, two barriers were created around the 2 hearts, filled with glitter and heart sequins, then sealed with leftover white cardstock.  I adhered the lot onto a pink diecut panel and then adhered that lot onto the card base.  A couple of the same shaker sequins were not so randomly attached (hides boo boo, of course).  Whew!

The Details:  Lifestyle Crafts heart dies, Papertrey Ink love die, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base and panel, and foiled cardstock, sequins from Target, Simon Says stitched rectangle die, Waltzing Mouse scalloped stitched rectangle die, Cuttlebug embossing folder, Doodlebug glitter, Judikins window plastic

I'm entering this in Mod Squad From the Heart,  AAA #57 Love Me Like You Do!, SIP #34 Love!, Just Add Ink #298 Just Add "V", CAS on Sunday #76 Valentine

Geometric Ornament

It occurred to me that my previous geometric ornament experiment might look cool on the W r Memory Keepers next level geometric embossing folder with its amazing facets.  I like the added texture a lot.

The Details:  Folk Art stencil, A Muse sentiment, Impression Obsession Vintage Ornament, We R Memory Keepers geometric embossing folder, Distress Inks, VersaFine Onyx Black, Versamark, Stampendous Detail Fine white embossing powder, Simon Says stitched rectangle die, Recollections 110lb cardstock

I'm entering this in Holly Jolly #65 Emboss It

HLS Mixed Media February Challenge - Paint!

Smile, friend.  It's time for a new Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media Challenge!  This month the keyword is "paint."

Paint (n):  a colored substance that is spread over a surface and dries to leave a thin decorative or protective coating; (v) cover the surface of (something) with paint, as decoration or protection; depict (someone or something) or produce (a picture) with paint.

Does that not leave the door wide open for interpretation?  I can't wait to see what you create, you crazy geniuses, you.

For my make, I saw a bird holiday card and thought, "hey, I can do that!"  More or less--LOL.  I recreated the dotty background by coating a Gelli plate with gray acrylic paint then pressing an embossing folder into it.  I love the effect of applying different amounts of pressure to create the mottled background of the first pull.  I used origami paper and my Cameo to create the bird silhouettes.  They are so very pretty and their texture is amazing.  Reminds me of fine mulberry paper.  I love the gold detail on the paper too.   I combined two sentiments and drew in the comma with a Copic multiliner.  Maybe I should make a set of these!

The Details:  Yasutomo origami paper, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, PTI Mixed Messages, VersaFine Onyx Black, Gelli plate, Neutral Gray Value 5 acrylic paint, Waltzing Mouse scalloped stitched rectangle die

Stamplorations CAS February Challenge!!

Hey, all, are you ready for another fun Stamplorations CAS challenge?  This month as usual it's anything goes but with the optional twist of RED.

I love me some red, don't you?  As Valentine's Day will soon be here I thought of hearts then Queen of Hearts. I love her imperious pointing--Off with her Head!   I thought the Art Is sentiment matched her personality.  LOL.  Of course, once I started thinking of art, I recalled a gingerbread house I saw over the holidays which someone had worked up as Starry Night by van Gogh which made me think of the painting itself and then a gelli print I had done a while back with a great swirl factor.  Welcome to my brain!

So fairly straight forward stamping with the addition of embossing the queen so she would really pop.  I inset all of the diecuts to keep it simple but also to allow me to save a bit of the swirl print for later.  Yes, I am a gelli print hoarder!

I do hope you'll join in the fun this month!  You can enter up to 3 times and don't have to use Stamplorations products but it would be wonderful if you did!

The Details:  Simon Says stitched rectangle dies, Memento Luxe Love Letter, VersaFine Onyx Black, Stamplorations Queen of Hearts and Art Is, Liquitex Basics acrylic paints, gelli plate, Neenah 110lb solar white, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base

HLS CAS February Challenge!

Time for another Happy Little Stampers CAS challenge!  This time we ask you to stamp with an embossing folder.  There are lots of ways to do this so be sure to check out the how-to videos we've included.

For my card, I inked up the raised portion of an embossing folder and misted it lightly with water.  I then pressed regular cardstock, not watercolor cardstock, onto the folder, folded it over, and burnished the lot by hand.  I was really pleased with the dreamy pointillism that resulted.  I embossed the sentiment and diecut a curved edge on top to soften it a bit.  I love how that follows along with the curved sentiment.  To achieve the texture of the chartreuse background, I impressed the paper with a linen impression plate on both sides multiple times. The texture is amazing and extremely tactile.

The Details:  PTI 140lb white cardstock base, Movers & Shakers sentiments, linen impression plate; Versafine Onyx Black, Distress Inks Mowed Lawn, Twisted Citron, Crushed Olive, Simon Says Stitched rectangle die, Lawn Fawn Stitched Hillside Border, Paper Studio embossing folder

Happy Birthday, Kate!!!!

Our dear Kate is another year older, another year wiser, and another year more fabulous!   We've gotten together to surprise her with a little celebratory hop.

Happy birthday, Kate!

Toni -- you are here!
Lenae
Lisa
Katie
Amy
Kimberly
Laura
Novell (via Instagram)

The Details:  Simon Says Scripty Greetings, Doodlebug Enamel Dots, Tim Holtz watercolor paper, Recollections white and black 110lb cardstock, Simon Says stitched rectangle dies, Jacquard acid dyes

I'm entering this in Seize the Birthday without the sketch topping, Simon Says Anything Goes  

Delightful News!

Congratulations to Deepti and her new baby boy!  Why not show her some love and link up a card for her to help her celebrate!

For my card I wanted to go a bit non-traditional.  I knew I wanted to use my fabric dye background with the heart border which I realized looked like waves with white caps if I layered them.  Cool!  The sentiment is such a cute pun of sorts so I had to use it here but it seemed a little lonely on the top of the panel so I added the bird cut from the same fabric dye background.  I had planned to have a plain white card base but went rogue by creating a boyish plaid instead.  So cute!

The Details:  Stamplorations Fond Expressions 2 sentiment, MFT Plaid Background Builder set, Impression Obsession Sea Birds die, Simon Says Stitched Rectangle die, Mama Elephant Heart Border die, Jacquard fabric dyes, Hero Arts Navy and Tide Pool, Copics, Memento Dandelion, Distress Inks Carved Pumpkin, Hammermill 80lb color cardstock, Recollections 110lb white cardstock base

House of Cards February Challenge

This month at the House of Cards we're asking that you create a card that is not a square or a rectangle but anything else is fair game.  Circles, ovals, snowglobes!

I love snow globes and decided to create one with my Cameo.  I've included a pic for your reference.  The card is A2 in size.

I airbrushed the blue background, leaving the bottom white as snow.  I then colored and diecut the penguin and fire.  Isn't that penguin adorable?  I used a snow pen on his hat for kicks.  I assembled the rest of the card--double layer of foam tape, glitter mix, etc--but felt there was something lacking.  Note in the pic below how there's no shading on the base--very blah.   I was much happier after I added in some shading with Copics.

The Details:  My Favorite Things Toasty Greetings, Copics, Distress Ink Tumbled Glass, Recollections 110lb white cardstock, Stampendous Frantage Multi Crystal Glitter Mix, VersaFine Onyx Black, Memento Tuxedo Black, Scotch Foam Tape