DB - Tropical Toucans

I'm over on the Doodlebugs WA blog with a fun tropical card.  Fruit Loops, anyone?

ATCAS #205 - Nature

Nature is the code word for the latest Addicted to CAS Challenge #205.  There were lots of different options I thought of for this one, settling on a jungle theme. I think this may be the first time I've used the Hero Arts cover plate tho I've had it for ages. Eek!

PRODUCTS USED AND/OR RECOMMENDED INCLUDE:

• Pretty Pink Posh Tropical Toucans
• Avery Elle Luau Party
• Hero Arts Leaves & Vines

3D Embossing: Yes, Please!

I'm guest designing for the current TIME OUT Challenge #195 and posted a card for that a couple of days ago. 

As is often the case for me, since I had the stuff out, I went ahead and made more cards, one still fitting the challenge.

I used PTI Soft Stone cardstock when embossing the Altenew Spring Blooms 3D Embossing Folder. I then ran Memento Luxe Pear Tart ink pad lightly over the embossed blooms.

I embossed the MFT Essential Sentiment with Ranger Gold Embossing Powder and added a Pinkfresh Studio Small Butterfly that I had hot foiled in Spellbinders Speckled Aura Hot Foil onto acetate.

I'm entering this one in CAS on Friday #212 Butterfly.

For the other card, I brushed the Altenew Spring Blooms 3D Embossing Folder blossoms with Hero Arts Unicorn Pigment Ink. I trimmed down the panel and cut some strips from scrap vellum and Papertrey Ink Kraft cardstock which I then adhered to the card base on top of Birch Press Design Shimmer Lines Washi.

I added a Pinkfresh Studio Perfect Sentiment hot foiled in Spellbinders Gold and applied a few Pinkfresh Studio Gold Metallic Pearls using Glossy Accents. 

A rather different look for me but I like it!  I'm entering this one in Fusion Crayons (sketch).

PRODUCTS USED AND/OR RECOMMENDED

• Altenew Spring Blooms 3D Embossing Folder
• PTI Soft Stone Cardstock
• PTI Kraft Cardstock
• MFT Essential Sentiments
• Pinkfresh Studio Perfect Sentiments Hot Foil Plate & Dies
• Pinkfresh Studio Small Butterflies Hot Foil Plate & Dies
• Spellbinders Gold & Speckled Aura Hot Foil
• Pinkfresh Studio Gold Metallic Pearls
• Birch Press Design Shimmer Lines Washi
• Glossy Accents
• Hero Arts Unicorn Pigment Ink
• Memento Luxe Pear Tart
• Versamark
• Ranger Gold Embossing Powder

Caroling Critters

I've had this card partially completed in my stash for a year if not two.  I just wasn't feeling the background.  

I discovered the card in my UFO pile recently, added a few Distress Oxide Antique Linen Lawn Fawn Ready, Set, Snow  snowflakes to the sponged background and finally felt I could move forward.

I added the Lawn Fawn Shut the Front Door, using a holiday plaid for the frame. I colored up the Pretty Pink Posh Caroling Critters image with Copics using the holiday plaid to guide my color choices.  They are soooo cute!

I'm entering this in Sparkles Christmas Challenge #127 Christmas Music.

Thanks for stopping by!

PRODUCTS USED AND/OR RECOMMENDED

• Pretty Pink Posh Caroling Critters
• Lawn Fawn Shut the Front Door
• Lawn Fawn Ready, Set, Snow (snowflakes)
• Distress Oxide Antique Linen
• Distress Oxide Peacock Feathers
• Copics

TIME OUT #195 Guest Designer

I'm so honored to be guest designing for TIME OUT after a recent challenge win. It's always fun to play along with challenges and even better to be able to inspire others to do so as well!

Challenge #195 is using a colored card base with the optional twist of adding embellishments.

I've used an icy blue for my card, using the Altenew Spring Blossoms 3D Embossing Folder to create that stunning raised effect.  I gently swiped the embossed areas with Delicata Golden Glitz to highlight the edges.

I added a strip of gold striped washi and embossed with the MFT Essential Sentiment above it in gold. Glamorous!

PRODUCTS USED AND/OR RECOMMENDED

• Altenew Spring Blooms 3D Embossing Folder
• MFT Essential Sentiments
• Delicata Golden Glitz
• Versamark
• Ranger Princess Gold Embossing Powder

The Great Bougainvillea Experiment

Last week I used the Pinkfresh Studio Bougainvillea Print Hot Foil Plate on a mixed media card.  At the same time I had foiled it in Spellbinders Glimmer Speckled Prism. It's like a fancier version of embossing in white so the watercoloring really pops.

I used only three colors of Zigs to color up the blossoms.  Once that was done I used the Pinkfresh Studio Hugs & Good Vibes Hot Foil Plate with Glimmer black foil on top.

It worked really well!  I only had one area where I used my Copic Multiliner to fill in some blank spots.  I will definitely be double, triple, even quadruple foiling in the future!

PRODUCTS USED AND/OR RECOMMENDED

• Pinkfresh Studio Bougainvillea Print Hot Foil Plate
• Pinkfresh Studio Hugs & Good Vibes Hot Foil Plate
• Zig 025 Pink, 040 Green, 050 Yellow
• Strathmore Bristol Smooth

DB - Underwater Happy Birthday

Swim on over to the Doodlebugs WA blog to learn more about these coordinating birthday cards. Don't you love it when the negative of a diecut can be used too?!

SOSS #192 - H for Hormonal

The latest challenge at the Sisterhood of Snarky Stampers is #192 H for Hormonal. I immediately think of menopause, particularly brain fog in my case.

I'm entering this in Lost Coast Portal to Creativity #128 Face On (Use a Human Face).

Below you can see the original background for this card. I added the yellow and immediately hated it so used gesso to cover up the ugly.  

• PaperArtsy Lynne Perrella 46
• Crafty Individuals Wild Flowers and Ferns Silhouette
• TCW Stencil 357S
• AALL & Create Heapza Hexagonz Stencil
• Golden Light Molding Paste
• Tim Holtz Snarky Small Talk
• Liquitex Acrylic Paint
• Distress Oxides
• Stazon Timber Brown

Bordered Holiday Shakers

I had a couple of these Catherine Pooler Holly Framed Cover Plate diecuts that I wanted to play with as they're absolutely gorgeous.  

I created two flat shakers that were so simple to do using a bit of sponging, a bit of glitter, and embossing. Boom.

This one is sponged with Distress Oxide Seedless Preserves and stamped with Waffle Flower Galina's Snowflakes.  I put a little dot of 3L Thin Foam under the acetate behind the Waffle Flower Wonderful Christmas sentiment to give the glitter a bit more freedom to move.

I'm entering this one in Christmas Craft Creations Non-Traditional Colors and Jingle Belles Cardstock Christmas.

For the other card, I sponged Distress Oxide Kitsch Flamingo and Antique Linen both on the card base and on the Catherine Pooler Holly Framed Cover Plate diecut.

The Sunny Studio Season's Greetings sentiment is stamped in Distress Oxide Picked Raspberry and Versamark then embossed with WOW! Taffeta Pink Glitter Embossing Powder. I spattered with a bit of Distress Oxide Spray too.

PRODUCTS USED AND/OR RECOMMENDED

• Catherine Pooler Holly Framed Cover Plate
• Sunny Studio Season's Greetings
• Waffle Flower Galina's Snowflakes
• Waffle Flower Wonderful Christmas
• Distress Oxide Antique Linen, Seedless Preserves, Kitsch Flamingo
• Distress Oxide Spray Spun Sugar and Picked Raspberry
• WOW! Taffeta Pink Glitter Embossing Powder
• Lawn Fawn Acetate
• Stampendous Frantage Multi Crystal Glitter Mix
• 3L Thin Foam

Tropical Hibiscus

I'm a fan of the Picket Fence series of extra large images. I have used them on A2 cards so far but can easily see how they'd work on larger cards, journaling, or even stamping fabric. So many possibilities!

Here I'm using the Tropical Hibiscus Bouquet.  Isn't it glorious? I used my MISTI to stamp the image a few times to make sure I got good coverage on the flower centers.

I used only three (!!) Zig Real Brush Watercolor Pens to color up the image. I love how easily these blend.

Above you can see how I used the stamp itself as a mask so I could spatter the background around the blooms.

After the masked spattering I went back in and manually added a few dots of color closer to the image edges. Super easy.

I stamped and embossed the sentiment on black.  And then I fussy cut it.  Is the world ending?  LOL.

I'm entering this in HLS Watercolour Anything Goes.

PRODUCTS USED AND/OR RECOMMENDED

• Picket Fence Studio Tropical Hibiscus Bouquet 
• Zig 025, 036, 040, 050, 052
• Copic Black Multiliner 0.5
• MISTI

Dreamy Bougainvillea

Hello there! I was a little surprised by the direction this card took but I think that's the nature of mixed media; it's a very organic process for me.

I started with a panel I had sprayed with Distress Oxides but thought it turned out too dark. Well, I applied a thin layer of Liquitex Gesso and fixed that issue right up. The colors totally transformed and blended into a soft magical field of dreaminess.

I foiled the panel using the Pinkfresh Studio Bougainvillea Print Hot Foil Plate and WRMK Fuschia hot foil. I used Zigs to lend more definition to the leaves and blooms.

I then spattered the panel with water, Copic Opaque White, and Zig #400 Marine Green. I love that the Distress Oxides beneath the gesso still reacted with water.

To finish the card I used the Pinkfresh Studio Lots of Love Dies with scrap aqua cardstock on top of Neenah Metallic 65lb Cardstock in White Silver (check out that shimmer!).

I cut a few leaves in Lawn Fawn Vellum with the Mama Elephant Leafy Cover, tucking those beneath the sentiment, and sprinkled a few Pretty Pink Posh sequins among them. So very soft and pretty.

PRODUCTS USED AND/OR RECOMMENDED:

• Pinkfresh Studio Bougainvillea Print Hot Foil Plate
• Pinkfresh Studio Lots of Love Dies
• Mama Elephant Leafy Cover
• Lawn Fawn Vellum
• Liquitex Gesso
• Distress Oxide Sprays:  Festive Berries, Speckled Egg, Vintage Photo
• Zig 025, 040, 052, 082, 400
• Copic V09
• WRMK Heat Activated Foil - Fuschia
• Neenah Metallic 65lb Cardstock - White Silver 

DB - Tropical Birthdays

I'm over on the Doodlebugs WA blog today celebrating some birthday tropical style!

ATCAS #204 - Fishy

It's time for the next Addicted to CAS Challenge #204: Fishy.  Come join in the fun!

I've had this idea for the longest time of a snarky card with a male seahorse chock full of eggs asking if he looks fat. See.  Everyone has body issues.  LOL. 

• Zig 027, 042, 050
• Studio Light Whimsical Swimmers
• Visible Image Fibres Stencil

Phonomenal

Isn't this Avery Elle Phonomenal set fun?  I love a good pun.  Heck, I love bad ones too. LOL.

That said, I'm entering this one in Simon Says Wednesday Funny/Punny and Watercooler Wednesday #322 All About Occasions.  A bit of Asian flair with the colors and paper, plus a shaker since I'm all about those lately.

I colored up both cards with similar Copics, the second card using some BG too to tie in the Distress Oxide Salvaged Patina.

Both cards are based on the current Freshly Made Sketches #498 but the latter card is more closely aligned with the sketch. 

For the card base I used the reverse side of my Strathmore Bristol paper pad--cool texture, huh?  I textured the bowl as well using a paper towel and Copic 0 Various Ink.

PRODUCTS USED AND/OR RECOMMENDED

• Avery Elle Phonomenal
• Avery Elle Oval Burst
• Honey Bee Birthday Bash 6x6 Paper
• Sunny Studio Tiki Time
• Lawn Fawn Extra Sentiment Banners
• Lawn Fawn Acetate
• Distress Ink Vintage Photo
• Distress Oxide Salvaged Patina
• Strathmore Bristol
• Copics