Sunday, August 30, 2015

The Wish-Filled Trellis

9/02/2015 Update: The Wish-Filled Trellis was a Top Three winner in the AHSC #122!
This card was made for the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #122. I like texture and dimension that comes with using simple tools like an embossing folder and pop-up foam products.

The top edge of the card base was sponged to look like clouds in a blue sky. A
panel of cardstock was texturized using an embossing folder, sponged with several inks colors then adhered to the card base. The bottom edge was created using two shades of green die cut cardstock. One piece was adhered directly to the card base, the other was popped up with craft foam.

Four thin strips of cardstock created the trellis. Five sets of die cut flowers were popped up with foam and rhinestones added to their centers. Five leaves were cut from scrap DSP and adhered. To fill in the large blank space on the right, a fern frond was stamped once and then again without re-inking. Usually stamping is done before the embossing but the fern was unplanned until the end.



The sentiment was stamped directly on to the card base. The inside was decorated with stamped butterflies. Stop by and visit the  AHSC blog to join in the challenge fun!

Techniques: Stamping, die cutting, sponging, dry embossing, stamping off
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Products are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: SU! Butterfly Basics stamp set
Inks: Mossy Meadow, Old Olive,Sahara Sand, Crumb Cake, Bashful Blue (retired), Delightful Dijon (inside), Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Whisper White, Mossy Meadow, Sahara Sand, Grass Green, Basic Black
DSP: Scraps and gold glitter paper from stash
Dies: Mama Elephant Landscape Trio, Lil' Inker Perky Posies
Misc.: Spellbinders EF, Dimensionals, rhinestones

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Hello... Missing You

The color inspiration for this card came from the colourQ challenge #304. Because Poppy Parade is a retired color that I do not have, I used Real Red as a substitute. I tried to keep the design CAS as I often struggle to limit embellishments. I enjoy making cards oriented in landscape to open from the left side rather than the top because they stand up more easily.




On white cardstock, the yellow flower was stamped three times then each was fussy cut to a different size. The edges were sponged and distressed and two leaves were stamped and fussy cut and adhered together with the flower images. The sentiment was die cut twice - once from cardstock and again from craft foam. The cardstock was adhered to the craft foam.



On a panel of white cardstock, the leafy border was stamped in three ink colors. A piece of red burlap was die cut to mimic the shape of the stem and adhered to the cardstock. The white cardstock was then adhered to the card base. The yellow flower image was backed with craft foam to pop it up and adhered along with the sentiment.



The inside was lined with a panel of white cardstock and a stamped red flower for decoration. The sentiment, Missing You, was also stamped to finish the card. Stop by the cQc challenge blog and see the creative designs!





Techniques: Stamping, distressing, sponging, die cutting, fussy cutting
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Materials are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:
Stamps: Beautiful Border stamp set, Studio G (inside sentiment)
Inks: Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana, Real Red
Cardstock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight, Coastal Cabana, Real Red, Basic Gray
Dies: SU! Greetings Thinlits, Mama Elephant Landscape Trio
Misc.: Red burlap, craft foam

Friends

8/26/2015 Update: This card was a "Top Three" winner in AHSC #121.

The following card was made for the Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #121.

A panel of Blushing Bride cardstock was die cut to achieve the scallops. That  panel and another of Lost Lagoon with navy dots (DSP) were both backed with Night of Navy cardstock. The sentiment was stamped on Blushing Bride and cut out with a coordinating punch.






The card base is Lost Lagoon cardstock with a panel of Night of Navy cardstock and another panel of tiny flowers in coordinating DSP. The top two panels were backed with craft foam and adhered to the card base. The sentiment was popped up with a Dimensional. The inside of the card was lined with pink cardstock and decorated with the same floral DSP.

Drop by the AHSC blog!

Techniques: Die cutting, punching, stamping
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Materials are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:
Stamp: Tiny Tags
Ink: Night of Navy and Lost Lagoon
Cardstock: Blushing Bride, Night of Navy, Lost Lagoon
DSP: Flower Pot Collection
Die: Lil' Inker Dotted Scallops
Punch: Jewelry Tag
Misc.: Dimensionals & craft foam

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Wonky Wishes Just for You

Today's card was made for the Hand Stamped Sentiments Color Challenge #218. The colors are Tangerine Tango, Lost Lagoon and Pool Party.

Three wonky squares were die cut from Tangerine Tango and Pool Party dsp. A panel of white cardstock was adhered to a panel of the Tangerine Tango dsp. I then pierced around the wonky squares three times using a halo quilting technique. A sewing machine does quite a nice job of piercing by not using any thread when stitching.


The stitched panel was then adhered to the card base of Lost Lagoon and one row of piercing was sewn around the perimeter. The wonky squares were backed with craft foam and adhered to the card front. The sentiment was stamped in Lost Lagoon ink.

Hemp was laced through the button and it was adhered to the card front. The inside of the card was decorated with a panel of Tangerine Tango dsp and a panel of white cardstock.

Stop by the HSS blog for card making fun!

Techniques: Stamping, piercing, die cutting
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Materials are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:
Stamp: Watercolor Wings (sentiment)
Ink: Lost Lagoon
Cardstock: Lost Lagoon, Whisper White
DSP: Tangerine Tango & Pool Party scraps
Dies: Lil' Inker Designs Stitched Wonky Squares
Misc.: Button, hemp, craft foam, Bernina sewing machine

Monday, August 17, 2015

Celebrate Your Day

Today's card is for colourQ challenge #303, which requires the use of certain colors.
 
I found it necessary to substitute Island Indigo for the Taken with Teal, which is a retired color, and because I don't have any Rich Razzleberry, I used Raspberry Ripple. The top panel was stamped with simple flowers, leaves and dots then a label shape was intentionally die cut to run off of the left edge. Naturals white cardstock was used because it works well with Early Espresso ink. A frame was cut from Raspberry Ripple cardstock using the same die set and adhered. On the right side of the panel, a strip of glitter paper that matches Island Indigo was adhered along with a strip of Pumpkin Pie cardstock. 
 
The sentiment was stamped in Early Espresso ink on the card base to align with the cut out on the top panel.  A strip of Raspberry Ripple was adhered toward the right side of the card base to align with the strips of color on the top panel.
 
The top panel was backed with craft foam and adhered to the card base. The inside was decorated in the right lower corner with the same flower, leaf and dot stamps as were used on the top panel. Happy Birthday was stamped on the inside of the card in Early Espresso.
 
Visit the colourQ blog for unique color challenges!
 
Techniques: Stamping, die cutting
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")
 
Products are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:
Cardstock: Naturals white, Pumpkin Pie, Raspberry Ripple, teal glitter paper from stash
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Raspberry Ripple, Island Indigo, Early Espresso
Stamps: Lil' Inker "Really Rosemaling" and Verve "Poppy Birthday"
Dies: Spellbinders Label Four 
Misc.: Craft foam

Saturday, August 15, 2015

Love Knows No Season

Sometimes it just happens... I had a different presentation in mind when I started this card - I was going to align five different leaf shapes in different colors, plus an acorn, to match the inspiration photo for the challenge at the Paper Smooches SPARKS August challenge. It's curious that while I was working on it, things changed.

 
The card base was stamped along the edge with a leaf design. A panel of Gumball Green cardstock was adhered and then another panel of DSP was adhered. On a panel of Whisper White the various leaf designs were stamped. This stamp set only has two matching leaf dies so the others were fussy cut.

I drew an acorn freehand, including the crisscross design for the acorn cap, added a computer generated sentiment, fussy cut the shape and sponged the acorn to give it a little definition. Some of the cut shapes were adhered to the card front and some were popped up with Dimensionals. The inside of the card was lined with a piece of white cardstock and stamped with a few leaves, using a stamping off (generation stamping) technique.


Visit Paper Smooches to view an array of creative cards and join in the challenge fun!

Techniques: Stamping, die cutting, fussy cutting, freehand drawing, sponging, generation stamping
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Paper Smooches products used:
Stamps: Leafy Greens stamp set
Dies: Loopy Leaf & Hickory Leaf

Stampin' Up! products used:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Gumball Green
DSP: Flowerpot Collection (retired)
Inks: Garden Green, Old Olive, Gumball Green, Mossy Meadow, Cajun Craze, Delightful Dijon, Pumpkin Pie, Crumb Cake
Misc.: Dimensionals, sentiment (computer generated)

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Sweet to the Soul

Proverbs 16:24 tells us that, "Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." Whenever I use hexagons on a card I am reminded of a honeycomb and then those words come to mind.

This card has been created for the colourQ challenge #301, which requires using: Calypso Coral, Apricot Appeal (retired), More Mustard, Night of Navy and Whisper White. Similar colors are acceptable. Because the apricot is retired I used So Saffron as a substitute.

 

A panel of Irresistibly Yours emboss resist paper was sponged with navy ink and then wiped clean with a tissue to remove the excess ink, creating the stripes. It was adhered to a navy card base. A die with a wavy round shape was used to cut a piece of vellum and adhered to the blue stripe panel.

The larger flower was stamped in Calypso Coral ink and the smaller flower in More Mustard. They were fussy cut, backed with craft foam and adhered to the vellum.

A panel of So Saffron was die cut to create openings in a hexagon shape. It was then sponged with More Mustard and adhered to a panel of glitter paper in a mustard color. This panel was backed with craft foam and adhered to the card. The bee was stamped and colored using Spectrum Noir markers and its wings were embellished with clear Wink of Stella and Glossy Accents for shine. It was added with a Dimensional.

Finally, the sentiment was die cut from white cardstock, shadowed with navy cardstock and the word, "Sweet" was handwritten with a tiny heart using a Night of Navy marker. The inside was lined with a panel of white cardstock decorated with a stamped honeycomb in More Mustard and a tiny bee in black ink.

Check out the great cards at cQc #301!

Techniques: Stamping, sponging, coloring, die cutting, fussy cutting, emboss resist
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

Materials are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted:
Stamps: Backyard Basics, Simple Stems, Verve "The Buzz" (inside)
Inks: Calypso Coral, More Mustard, Night of Navy, Memento Tuxedo Black, Spectrum Noir alcohol markers, Stampin' Write marker (navy)
Cardstock/Paper: Irresistibly Yours emboss resist paper, Vellum, Night of Navy, So Saffron, Whisper White, mustard gold glitter paper from stash
Dies: Backyard Basics (bee), Spellbinders Hexagons, Verve Scroll, ODBD Delicate Doily (vellum)
Misc.: Craft foam, Dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Glossy Accents