Sweetest Fruit

Clean and layered for today's card.  It seems so fussy with that ribbon compared to my usual, huh?  I started out coloring the image then figured out the sentiment and layout.  This is my usual modus operandi.  I love the final product.  Reminds me of the farm.

The Details:  Deep Red Apple Harvest stamp, PTI Mighty Oak sentiment, mystery designer paper, PTI 140 white and 110lb kraft cardstock, Hammermill color copy cardstock, Memento Tuxedo Black, Copics

I'm entering this in Curtain Call Orchard, Simon Says Wednesday Tie It Up, Sunday Stamps SSC107 Color Inspiration  

Life is Like a Bowl of Cherries

I immediately thought of this bowl of fruit design when I saw that the latest Curtain Call cue word is orchard.  Growing up we didn't have enough fruit trees to qualify as an orchard but we had a few peach, pear, plum (ick!), apple, and cherry trees.  Oh, and a crabapple that was absolutely stunning in the spring.

I've done a couple of these glitter cards recently and have a couple of tips to share.  I found the easiest way for me to get the sticker onto the Scor Tape was to place the sticker sticky side up on the nonstick Scor Tape backer sheet.  You then take the Scor Tape and place it on your piece of card, remove the backing (actually I guess at this point that's the fronting) and place the lot right on top of the sticker.  You can then easily pull it up with the sticker firmly in place and ready for glitter.

Applying the glitter is fun and only mildly messy.  Yes, you will have glitter on your face and hands and cat but all in all, easy peasy.  Be sure to burnish it with your finger quite firmly and tap off as much of the excess as you can.

When you color the image, you can't do a lot of blending because it's glitter and because excess alcohol ink can break down the adhesive holding the glitter.  Now THAT is a mess, trust me.  So keep it simple.  The ink will naturally blend and bleed (due to the adhesive??) so a lot of blending isn't really necessary anyway.  I started here with my darks, then mediums and then light colors and didn't go back over it if I could avoid it.

The Details:  Elizabeth Craft sticker, Sugar Coating ultrafine glitter, Gina K Designs Garden Fresh sentiment, Copics, Scor Tape, baker's twine

I'm entering this in Curtain Call Orchard, Addicted to Stamps and More! #156 Anything Goes, Simon Says Wednesday Tie It Up, and CAS(E) This Sketch! #135

 

Happy Birthday, Amy!

Today we're having a birthday blog hop for the amazing Amy Tsuruta!  Do hop along and wish her some very big birthday wishes!

Happy Birthday, Amy!!!

Tonya
Laura
Kate

Katie 

Kimberly
Lisa

Toni (you're here)

Vicki  

Amy← Birthday Girl!

The Details:  Your Next Stamp Waddles - Happy Brrr-thday, Copics, Hammermill color copy cardstock, Memento Tuxedo Black, PTI white 140lb cardstock base and kraft cardstock

I'm entering this in Addicted to CAS #69 Banners, ColourQ #302, and Happy Little Stampers August Sketch

Update:  fixed a broken link

Peony

I loved the inspiration picture at Just Add Ink; it seems modern and beachy and spa-like and just a touch quirky.  Me likey.  And then the colors from Pal Paper Arts called out to me and were really quite similar so I combined the two.  Neat!

I pulled out a panel that I had stamped back at the end of June with a giant flower stamp that Amy had just picked up--it was still in the bag even (thanks for letting me be the first to use it, Amy! and thanks to Lenae for the ink!).  I then added the sentiment and a few enamel dots.  I'm torn about whether I should have added a sheer ribbon--which I didn't have in the color that's in my head anyway.  :)

The Details:  A Muse Studio Charming Gardeners sentiment, Impress Pen and Ink Peony,  PTI soft stone cardstock, Recollections 110lb white cardstock, PTI 140lb white cardstock base, Hero Arts Tide Pool, Memento desert sand, Simon Says stitched rectangle die

Ribbit

Hello!  More inspiration for you from Great Impressions!

Here I used G204 Funny Frog Border.  It's such a fun image, isn't it?  Coloring it was fun too--love the bright pink flowers against that happy green. At a later time I might add little googly eyes for even more fun--LOL!  I really wanted the frogs to take center stage so I created the rest of the scene in white--reed background, clouds, and a cluster of lavender that I trimmed to look like cattails.  Stretching dies is fab!

Don't forget about the GI monthly challenge!
You don't have to use GI stamps but it'd be totally awesome if you did!
Also, if you do use GI stamps, be sure to link up to the customer gallery to show us your fabulous work and for a chance to get a little year-end prize.

Mod Retirement Card

Easy one layer card today.  I wanted to evoke a tropical sunset/Hawaiian shirt as I mean this for a retirement card.  I sponged various Memento and Distress inks on the masked off card and then used the MISTI to stamp the botanicals.  I used VersaFine so only had to stamp once.  That stuff has amazing coverage.  For the sentiment, I cobbled together my own as I only have one tiny retirement stamp.  I am loving the result!

Btw, over at the Happy Little Stampers CAS Challenge this month it's all about masking so why not stop by and join us?

The Details:  Distress Picked Raspberry, Spiced Marmalade, Mustard Seed, and Squeezed Lemonade, Memento Love Letter, VersaFine Onyx Black, Papertrey Ink 140lb white cardstock, Paper Smooches Botanicals 1 and 2, Mama Elephant Up and Away, Fiskars smile sentiment

I'm entering this in One-Layer Simplicity Challenge #19 Strip Down, Paper Smooches Sparks Anything Goes, and one new to me, Stamp Ink Paper Designer's Choice (anything goes)

Framed Poppies Make Me Smile

Such a simple card today.  I had the idea of a framed field of poppies spilling out but not too fussy.  So I impressed the square die then used the MISTI to do the flowers and sentiment.  What would I do without that thing?

The Details:  PTI Reasons to Smile stamps, Hero Arts Ultra Pink and Lime Green, Memento Tuxedo Black, Simon Says stitched square die, Recollections 110lb white cardstock

I'm entering this in Simply Create Too #91 Anything Goes, Simon Says Wednesday Anything Goes, Addicted to Stamps and More Inspiration Photo

Masking, Big and Bold

Hello!  Today is the start of a new monthly CAS challenge at Happy Little Stampers, this time calling for masking.

Usually when I mask, I'm doing it because I want to create a scene (no pun intended!).  This time I felt like going bold and beautiful with a burst of monarch butterflies.  I am so glad I had the MISTI for this one.  On my test butterfly I colored into the black--because it's black so the other colors shouldn't show, right?  Wrong!  I colored over the black with Copic 100 (black) which was fine but made everything very uniform and flat.  Ugh.  My solution?  I stamped a butterfly, masking off other areas if necessary, colored it right on the MISTI then restamped so the scribbles into the black would be covered up.  Sweet. I placed a piece of scratch paper beneath the card front as I stamped and colored.  I like doing that in general with the MISTI so any extra ink isn't absorbed into the foam base and show up unexpectedly later (ask me how I know that happens?)

Now it's your turn to show us your masking skills.  Come join the fun!  You have an entire month to play along!

The Details:  Recollections 110lb black cardstock, Hammermill cardstock for coloring, Copic YR02, YR04, YR07, Y11, Y15, MFT Inspired by Butterflies, Avery Elle So Happy sentiment, Stampendous Detail Fine black embossing powder, Versamark, Memento Tuxedo Black, foam tape, Doodle Bug Designs black Sprinkles, Wink of Stella

Hello, GI friends

Today is the start of a new, super easy challenge at Great Impressions.  You just need to use a sentiment.  Told you it was easy!

With this card, I used the H226 Butterfly Frame and masked off the C366 Hello Summer stamp for my sentiment. Doesn't that butterfly look like it's going to flutter right off the card?  Triad colors at work.  I could have also colored the butterfly twice, cutting out one and gluing the body on top of the other.  Thought about that after the fact, of course!

Don't forget about the GI monthly challenge!

You don't have to use GI stamps but it'd be totally awesome if you did!

Also, if you do use GI stamps, be sure to link up to the customer gallery to show us your fabulous work and for a chance to get a little year-end prize.

The Details:  Great Impressions Butterfly Frame and Hello Summer stamps, Memory Box die, Copics, Paper Studio embossing folder, Hammermill cardstock for coloring, Recollections 110lb white cardstock, Liquid Pearls

Feelin' Groovy

Time for a new House of Cards challenge--woo hoo!  This time your card must include a metallic element.  

In my card I used silver metallic embossing powder which is a combo I absolutely adore with green.  It was my first time coloring up a Some Odd Girl image (thanks to Kimberly!)--super fun.  Her hair was inspired by Julianne Moore from Still Alice.  I don't know who colors her hair but they do an amazing job making it look natural.  I popped her up on a bit of folded card; a technique that Lisa shared with me.  Now the card will be flat when mailed but little Mae will pop right up when she comes out of the envelope--surprise! 

The Details:  Some Odd Girl Music Mae, Lil' Inker Shiny Happy Sentiments, Copics, Versamark, Recollections silver detail embossing powder