Thursday, March 29, 2018

Fun in the Sun

Fun in the Sun for the Frog family using the partial die cutting technique.


There's a new challenge for the month of April at Try Stampin' on Tuesday. The sketch challenges occur every week but the technique challenges are monthly. April's technique is partial die cutting. This is my first attempt at this technique so is displayed simply but I am eager to try some with more complex cutting.


The frog who is bravely attempting a dive into the pond was done using the technique. Only a portion of the die was cut on the edge of the paper, then the entire image was stamped and colored. The inside of the card was colored using the old tried and true technique called "Direct to Paper". This means that the turquoise ink pad was dragged along the inside of the card to create the watery look.The remaining images were stamped, colored, die cut and adhered to the card base mostly using foam tape. The white surface on the upper portion of the front of the card was ink dusted. The clear droplets were added. I purposely omitted the sentiment until I am ready to use the card.


Please join in the fun and play along with our technique challenge at Try Stampin' on Tuesday!

Techniques: Stamping, partial die cutting, die cutting, direct-to-paper, coloring, ink dusting

Materials
Stamps: Lawn Fawn "Toadally Awesome"
Inks: Stampin' Up! Tempting Turquoise; Distress Oxide Broken China, Memento Tuxedo Black & Copic alcohol markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White & Barely Banana; SN for alcohol ink
Dies: Lawn Fawn "Toadally Awesome" & Reverse Confetti "Sun and Clouds"
Misc.: Pretty Pink Posh clear droplets; Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); Judikins stippling brush

Sunday, March 25, 2018

Amaryllis

 
 

Sketch challenges are always my favorite type of challenge. Try Stampin' on Tuesday has a great sketch this time for Challenge #361. The option is Thinking of You. Please join us over at the TSOT blog and play along!



My card has a slight variance in the sketch interpretation and I am okay with how it looks. A small panel of pink cardstock and a panel of patterned paper were adhered to a panel of brown cardstock along with a strip of grosgrain ribbon tied in a square knot. This was adhered to a card base. The amaryllis was stamped onto a panel and colored. It was cut to size and edged with a stitched border die. The floral image was matted then backed with foam tape and adhered to the card front. The inside was decorated with a strip of patterned paper.


Our Design Team welcomes you to join in at our challenge so visit our TSOT blog and check us out.

Materials
Stamp: Rubber Stampede "Amaryllis"
Ink: Copic Alcohol Markers; Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pink Pirouette; SN paper for alcohol ink
Patterned Paper: from stash
Die: Lawn Fawn stitched border
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); ribbon from stash

Easter Lilies

 
 
The Design Team at The Crafter's Café invites you to join the two-week challenge, beginning on April 1, 2018. This time Challenge #193 offers three choices:

1. Sketch
 
2. Color (blue, green and yellow)
 
3. Sketch and color combined
 
 
Easter was several weeks away when I selected the "Easter Lilies" image from the Creative Bug blog. 
 
 
 
 
First, the background was stamped onto a panel of white cardstock along with a strip of yellow ribbon. This was adhered to a white panel and then to the card base. I downloaded the image, resized it into four sizes, then printed and colored the images. All were fussy cut with the smallest flowers being used to decorate the inside of the card. The remaining three images were adhered to the background panel at varying heights using foam tape. The droplets were adhered. The sentiment was computer generated and adhered with foam tape. The inside was lined with a panel of white cardstock and as previously mentioned, decorated with the smallest lilies.
 
We hope to see you over at The Crafter's Café Challenge #193!
 
 
Materials
Stamp: "Easter Lilies" digital image from Creative Bug; Impression Obsession (background); sentiment computer generated
Inks: Copic markers; Distress Oxide "Salty Ocean"
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White & Marina Mist; SN for alcohol ink
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); Pretty Pink Posh clear droplets; yellow ribbon from stash


Friday, March 23, 2018

Ballerina Birthday

 

My card was made for the Color My Heart Color Challenge #285. I had to use substitute colors for Pebble and Raspberry but the challenge guidelines allow for closely matched substitutes. The challenge begins on Friday, March 23, 2018 and ends on Thursday, April 5, 2018. There is still time to enter Challenge #284 as well.

Here are the colors for this challenge:
 
My card includes some die cutting and coloring with colored pencils. The guidelines do not address the use of colors for skin tone and hair so I used black for the ballerina's hair and light pink for the skin. The ballerina's costume and the roses were colored by using an Aquapen and die ink.
 
 
Following is a photo of the inside of the card:
 
Here's hoping you will join us at the Color Dare Blog - pick a sketch challenge elsewhere and use our selection of colors to create your work of art!
 
Materials
Stamps: Sunny Studio "Tiny Dancers"
Inks/Colors: Spectrum Noir colored pencils, CTMH Bashful, Memento Tuxedo Black
Cardstock: Wplus9 Dove Gray (sub for Pebble); Stampin' Up! Strawberry Slush (sub for Raspberry)
Dies: Frantic Stamper Lattice Beauty Edger & MFT Peek-a-Boo Window
Misc.: Aquapen, flower sequins from stash


Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Flower Pots



Spring has officially arrived in the northern hemisphere. The hummingbirds, whom I feed all winter, will soon be migrating north to their summer climates. I noticed a Gambol Quail hen walking her chicks yesterday. They live in Arizona all year. Just so cute they made me smile. The Palo Verde trees are filled with yellow buds. It won't be long to wait and we'll all be sneezing from the pollen. I truly enjoy spring in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona.


My card was made for an Easter or spring themed challenge at Creative Moments Challenge #139. The challenges are always Anything Goes but for fun there is an optional twist. I was asked to use a digital image from Bugaboo. I always enjoy browsing the wide variety of images available from Bugaboo and selected "Flower Pots".

The image was downloaded, resized, colored and die cut with a fancy rectangle. Clear droplets were added and the image was adhered to another panel of cardstock. A panel of patterned paper was adhered to the card base. The inside of the card was lined with white cardstock and decorated with a strip of patterned paper. The image panel was adhered to the base using foam tape for dimension. A sentiment can be added to the card when it is ready to be given.


I hope you'll take time to visit the Creative Moments Challenge Blog and consider playing along. Our challenge begins on March 21, 2018 and runs for two weeks.

Materials
Stamp: "Flower Pots" by Bugaboo (digital stamp)
Ink: Copics Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White & Bermuda Bay; SN for alcohol markers
Paper: "Pop of Color" from "All the Good Things" Collection by Vicki Boutin of American Crafts
Die: Cheery Lynn "Celtic Rectangle Boutique Frames"
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); clear droplets from Pretty Pink Posh

Friday, March 16, 2018

Pup in Boot - Just for You

The new challenge #192 at The Crafter's Café begins on March 15, 2018 and ends on March 30, 2018. This is the second card I made for the challenge. The first can be viewed HERE. The image I used is from one of the sponsors, Wink Wink Ink, named "Pup in Boot". Our optional theme is to use handmade flowers. I hope you'll take a look at The Crafter's Café blog and consider playing along.
The image was downloaded, resized, printed, colored and fussy cut. To a card base, a die cut panel was adhered. Using dies, the sentiment was cut twice from cardstock. The circle was also cut from a die and the hollyhocks were die cut and colored.  All of the die cut items were popped up using foam tape. The two die cut sentiments were stacked for dimension. The focal image was added, again using foam tape. The inside of the card was lined with a panel of white cardstock and additional flowers.

Please take a look at The Crafter's Café Challenge #192 and join in to become eligible for prizes:

Links to the sponsors are on the challenge blog but here is the link to Wink Wink Ink:
 
Materials
Stamp: Wink Wink Ink "Pup in Boot" digital image
Inks: Copic Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Tempting Turquoise; pink from stash; SN for alcohol markers
Dies: Spellbinders Classic Circles; Frantic Stamper "Penny Petals Panel"; Penny Black "Just for You"; Impression Obsession "Hollyhocks"
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape)

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Telling Her Secret to Little Bird


The new challenge #192 at The Crafter's Café begins on March 15, 2018 and ends on March 30, 2018. The image I used is from one of the sponsors, Wink Wink Ink, named "Little Bird". Our optional theme is to use handmade flowers. I hope you'll take a look at The Crafter's Café blog and consider playing along. I am making a second card for this challenge. It can be viewed HERE.
The image was downloaded, resized, printed and colored. To a card base, a couple of cardstock panels were adhered as a base for the colored image. The flowers were created by using a flower punch on scrap paper with huge flowers. These flowers were adhered using foam tape for dimension. The inside of the card was lined with a panel of white cardstock and an additional punched flower. A sentiment can be added later.

Please take a look at The Crafter's Café Challenge #192 and join in to become eligible for prizes:

Links to the sponsors are on the challenge blog but here is the link to Wink Wink Ink:


Materials
Stamp: Wink Wink Ink "Little Bird" digital image
Inks: Copic Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Crisp Cantaloupe, Wisteria Wonder; SN for alcohol markers
Paper: Scrap from stash
Punch: Stampin' Up!
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape)

Monday, March 12, 2018

Sunflower Fae


Meet Abigail... the Sunflower Fae by Scrap 'n Dipity, a sponsor at Creative Moments Challenge #138. This challenge is ongoing until Monday, March 19, 2018 at 7:00 pm USA Eastern Daylight Time. Until I saw this image I was unaware that a "Fae" is a young and mischievous faery. Here in the USA, we would probably just say, "A young and mischievous fairy."

Please visit our blog and consider joining in for a chance to win a prize. This challenge is Anything Goes with an optional twist to create a feminine card. Feel free to recognize International Women's Day, which occurred on March 8.



The image, along with extra sunflowers, was downloaded, resized, colored and fussy cut, then adhered to a matted cardstock frame. Onto a card base, a panel of cardstock and a panel of paper were adhered along with the gold ribbon. The frame with image was adhered using foam tape for dimension. Two of the spare sunflowers were also added to the card front. A sentiment is not included but can easily be added in the future. The inside of the card was lined with cardstock and decorated with the remaining spare sunflower.

Materials
Stamp: Digital Sunflower Fae by Scrap 'n Dipity
Ink: Copic Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip; SN paper for alcohol ink
Paper: Simple Life Collection by Jen Hadfield
Die: Spellbinders Wonky Rectangles
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); ribbon from stash

We hope you'll join in the challenge fun at Creative Moments #138!

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Spring Charm Fairy

This card was made for the March Spring or Easter Challenge #276 at Brown Sugar Challenge.

The challenge started on Friday, March 2, 2018, and ends on Wednesday, April 4, 2018. I hope you will visit our blog and join the challenge!

The challenge is sponsored by Ching-Chou Kuik Digital Stamps:
 


The image is called Spring Charm. It was downloaded, colored and resized. The image was trimmed with an oval die and clear Wink of Stella was added to the fairy's hair. A panel of white was adhered to a dark card base. Then a panel of paper was added along with a reverse scalloped oval die cut. The fairy image was popped up onto the card with foam tape. The flowers were punched from cardstock and adhered with foam tape. Larger pearls were added to the centers of the flowers and smaller pearls were added for balance. The inside of the card was lined with white cardstock and decorated with three punched flowers. A sentiment can be added at a later time.

Please drop by and play along at Brown Sugar Challenge #276 and we urge you to browse through Ching-Chou Kuik's on-line store.

Materials
Stamp: Digital image "Spring Charm"
Ink: Copic Alcohol Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Barely Banana (retired), Pale Plum (retired)
Paper: From my stash - origin unknown
Dies: Gina K stacking & nesting oval dies
Other: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape) and pearls

Monday, March 5, 2018

Adorable Pig



Looking for a fun challenge where you can win prizes? Here's one that runs until Tuesday, March 13 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. The only requirement is to use something on your card that is old or recycled. Visit The Crafter's Café Challenge #191 for details and DT inspiration cards. The sponsor providing my card image is Sparkle N Sprinkle.

I made two cards for this challenge. My other card can be viewed HERE.


I used two recycled items destined for the trash can. I purchased a dust mop last week and it was packaged in dark blue plastic. The blue plastic provided the background. I also found a small piece of wrapping paper in Kraft with red candy canes. It was the last piece on the roll and had a rough edge that I used on the edge of the blue panel. I thought the Kraft color resembled a sandy shore.

I remembered some nautical paper stashed away, so adhered the fish design to the blue panel. The image was downloaded, resized and fussy cut, then adhered to the blue panel with foam tape. The panel was tilted and adhered to a white card base and the sentiment was added using foam tape. The inside of the card was decorated with more fish from the nautical paper.

We're looking forward to seeing your cards at The Crafter's Café Challenge #191. We also hope you'll browse Sparkle N Sprinkle for some great digital images and rubber stamps.


Materials
Stamps: Hog Heaven digital image by Sparkle N Sprinkle; Stampin' Up!  (sentiment)
Inks: Stampin' Up! Night of Navy; Copic alcohol markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White
Paper: Stampin' Up! "Maritime" Collection (retired) and recycled materials shown above
Other: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape)

Sunday, March 4, 2018

Blue Jay... the little things


Looking for a fun challenge where you can win prizes? Here's one that runs until Tuesday, March 13 at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. The only requirement is to use something on your card that is old or recycled. Visit The Crafter's Café Challenge #191 for details and DT inspiration cards. The sponsor providing my card image is Sparkle N Sprinkle.

I made two cards for this challenge. My other card can be viewed HERE.


The recycled item on my card is the panel of green leaves, which came from a Kleenex box. The Blue Jay image was downloaded, resized, colored and fussy cut, then backed with foam tape to pop it up on the background. I added a few other layers onto the textured cardstock. The sentiment was stamped and punched. The inside was lined with a panel of white cardstock and decorated with coordinating paper strips.

We're looking forward to seeing your cards at The Crafter's Café Challenge #191. We also hope you'll browse Sparkle N Sprinkle for some great digital images and rubber stamps.



Materials
Stamps: Winter Blue Jay digital image by Sparkle N Sprinkle; Stampendous "Life Words" (sentiment)
Inks: Stampin' Up! Soft Suede, Copic alcohol markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip; textured from stash
Paper: Green leaf from Kleenex box, music paper from stash
Punch: Stampin' Up!
Other: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); gems from stash