High 5!

Had this idea brewing for a while and got my kick in the butt to do it by CASology #160 Number. 

I used Deco Foil transfer adhesive as a stenciling medium.  I learned it's important to sweep the surface as smooth as possible so it's easier to get the foil to stick in one go.  Also, it needs to dry for a spell before adding the foil to achieve maximum stickiness.  Not stickiness but stick-to-it-ness.

The Details:  iCraft Deco Foil and Transfer Adhesive, CAS-ual Friday sentiment, 5 mask cut with my Cameo, PTI 140lb white cardstock

I'm also entering this in Daring Cardmakers Let's Hear it for the Boys, Just Add Ink #276 Cards for Males   

Airbrushed Trees and a Little Star

I really liked this week's CAS(E) This Sketch #137 and have been playing around with this stencil so combined them.  I really like how this turned out.

I masked and airbrushed the Crafter's Workshop stencil with Copic B97 (I am so loving this color lately) then added the My Mind's Eye sentiment in VersaFine and a glittery silver star I found in my diecut leftovers.  I'm going to keep in mind the star and sentiment combo here as I can totally see it in a shooting star card idea.

I'm also entering this in Addicted to Stamps and More! #158 Holiday

Find Joy in a Mason Jar

I was putting away some stamps and it suddenly occurred to me that I could replace the vase that comes with the Stampendous Bowl Bouquet stamp with a mason jar for the current Curtain Call.  I shaded the jar blue like Ball jars since I grew up with that type.  We lived about 45 minutes from Muncie, Indiana, where Ball jars are manufactured.  Neat!

The Details:  Stampendous Bowl Bouquet and white ultra-fine embossing powder, Recollections Mason Jar and black 110lb cardstock, Hero Arts sentiment, Versamark, Hammermill 80lb color copy cardstock, Copics

I'm also entering this in Penny Black and More Summer Flowers and Try it on Tuesday Sending You Flowers 

Sunshine, Freedom, and a Little Flower

Hello!  Time for another Great Impressions card for you!

For this card I used G481 Bicycle with Flowers and E149 Said the Butterfly.  Butterfly, you ask?  Yes, the sentiment stamp is another I Frankensteined to use only the part I wanted.  You really stretch your stamps this way and can come up with all sorts of fun combinations.

I think the two stamps really complement each other and make me think of summer and school break (remember the good ol' days when we had those?).  I added a die as impression plate with the tree background and mounted it on woodgrain cardstock.  Love it!

See you next week with another GI design!  Toni 

Don't forget about the upcoming 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.

Get Well Chicken

Hello!  One of my Great Impressions teammates, Patti, is taking a break for medical reasons so we are sending her get well wishes in the forms of fabulous inspiration for you.  Do check out the cards we're featuring today if you haven't already.

I used F446 Get Well Birdie.  Super cute image and easy to color which makes it a quick card when you're running low on time and who's not, huh?  I am a huge fan of black and white against pink.  Although I colored this up as a chicken, you could make it a bluebird (of happiness) or any ol' bird that you feel like.

For the background, I embossed woodgrain cardstock with a honeycomb pattern.  I love the effect with the image!

See you next week!

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.

Masking Butterflies Tutorial

Time for a little mid-challenge inspiration and reminder for the Happy Little Stampers CAS masking challenge.  Come on over and join the fun!

Now, Linda had commented on my previous masked butterfly card and asked for clarification on my masking technique with Copics and the MISTI. So, last night I made another butterfly card and documented the process as I went along.  I hope this helps you!

1. Set up your MISTI and place scrap paper between the card stock panel and black foam pad.  This avoids ink being absorbed by the foam. I also find it easier to see what I'm doing.
2. Stamp your first image and leave the stamp in place on the lid of the MISTI.  Do NOT remove the cardstock panel.  
3. Notice the image is rather splotchy at this point. 



4. Color the image carefully to avoid accidentally moving the cardstock panel.
5. Re-stamp the image to cover up any stray marks and to deepen the color.  It really pops now, right?

6. Now lay down a mask over your image and position the next image.
7. With the MISTI I place the stamp where I want on the card stock panel and then lower the lid to pick up the stamp.  When I ink up and stamp the image, it is exactly where I had it.

8. Color up this image as above, leaving the mask in place.

9. The first stamping was really light but look how it pops after re-stamping.
10. You can also see where I nudged the card stock just the tiniest bit so the second stamping isn't quite in alignment with the first.

11.  Continue in this manner until your work of art is ready to go!

The Details:  Hammermill 80lb color cardstock, PTI 140lb white card stock base, Recollections black cardstock, Memento Tuxedo Black, MFT Inspired by Butterflies, 7 Gypsies sentiment, Wink of Stella, Versamark, Stampendous black detail fine embossing powder, Copic BG11, BG13, BG15, BG18, Y11, Y13

I'm entering this in Addicted to Stamps and More #157 Make Your Mark, Fab 'n' Funky #270 Anything with Wings   

Krafty Sunflower

Hello!  And welcome to another Great Impressions post. 

Can you believe how quickly summer is whizzing by?  My late blooming flowers are hanging in there so I thought I'd color some up.  Here I used G196 Sunflower Garden, stamping it in Memento Toffee Crunch for a no-line coloring effect.  I then used Copics to color the image.  I am so very pleased with the pots especially.  Notice the dimensional ladybug?  I accidentally colored over part of the image's ladybug so replaced it with a red enamel dot and a Sharpie.  I like the effect lots.

Don't forget about our 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.

Do I Amuse You?

I discovered that A-Muse Studio has a retail store here in Seattle so I stopped by there after work yesterday.  I picked up a couple of things (what a surprise . . . not) and today felt like playing with their stamps.  I completed the card and showed it to my honey who suggested a bit more shading for greater dimension.  I hate it when he's right!  LOL.  The pic below is before I darkened the shadows.  What a huge difference, huh?

The Details:  Hammermill color copy 80lb cardstock, Amuse Studio Charming Gardeners, Memory Box Dancing Butterflies die, Simon Says stitched rectangle die, Memento Tuxedo Black, Glossy Accents as glue, Recollections black and white 110lb cardstock, Copic R22, 24, 27, 29 and 39.

I'm entering this in Addicted to Stamps and More #157 Make Your Mark, Penny Black and More Summer Flowers,

Birthdays are Scary

. . . especially at your age.   LOL!  Thanks to Less is More's current one layer the eyes have it challenge, I spotted this NBUS in my stash.  That's a lot of eyes.  I have a number of October birthdays coming up so I thought it would be fun to combine Halloween with birthdays. Not much else to tell since I just stamped, colored and sparkled the card up.  I had almost forgotten how quick some one layer cards can be.

The Details:  PTI white 140lb cardstock, Copic YG01, YG03, YG05, Y11, Wink of Stella clear, Your Next Stamp Silly Monsters Two, Doodlebug Designs sequins

I'm also entering this in Seize the Birthday (without optional embossing)

Holiday Sparkles

Have you played along at Happy Little Stampers?  It is comprised of three different challenges (sketch, CAS, Christmas) and now a fabulous shop.  I'm totally into these Elizabeth Craft stickers and glitter so absolutely could not say no to the HLS Christmas challenge this month which is "Sparkle."  Hello?  Everything is better with a little sparkle--omg, I should make that into a stamp!  LOL.  

I've included a second pic that has that dreamy out of focus sparkle factor going on.

Oh!  Almost forgot to mention that I used my white pigment pen to brighten up the spots I had left white for snow.

The Details:  Copic R22, R24, R27, R29, C7, C9, E71, E74, E25, E27, B000, B0000, G24, G28; Elizabeth Craft Designs 2537 sticker, Scor Tape, Doodlebug Designs Sugar Coating lily white glitter and enamel dots, Hammermill color copy cardstock, Hero Arts Very Merry Christmas sentiment, VersaFine Onyx Black, Martha Stewart designer holiday paper, sticky fun foam

I'm entering this in HLS Christmas Sparkle, Holly Jolly Christmas Feathered Friends, Sunday Stamps SSC107 color inspiration