Watercolor Greeting

5/08/2017 Update: Diamond Award at Color Dare Challenge #241





Decided to try a bit of water coloring today...

Using Distress Inks, the ink pads were stamped onto an acrylic block, which served as a pallet. Water was applied to the watercolor paper, then the color was applied with a brush. Trying to keep the colors from running together was the challenge. Who wants muddy results! Once dry, some color was spattered onto the design and allowed to dry. Then some clean water drops were added and daubed with a paper towel to achieve different results.

The word, hi, was die cut from the design and backed in black cardstock. Craft foam was used for dimension when adhered to the white card base. A few sequins were added for shimmer. The inside of the card was decorated with the die cut from the watercolor design.

 

Inside of Card

The card is being entered into:

1. Brown Sugar Challenge #248
    (No image, just a sentiment)






2. Color My Heart Color Dare Challenge #241








3. Crafting from the Heart Challenge #157
    (Anything Goes)




Techniques: Wet Paper Watercoloring, die cutting
Size: A2

Products:
Inks: Tim Holtz Distress Inks (Picked Raspberries, Mustard Seed, Mowed Lawn)
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Basic Black
Paper: Stampin' Up! Watercolor Paper
Die: Winnie & Walter "Hi" Cutaway
Misc.: Craft foam, sequins from stash

Music Is Fun!

I often wonder why it is that everyone in my family is musical - except me. Members of my family play piano, organ, guitar, drums, bassoon, tuba and bagpipes. My five nieces have voices like angels and harmonize perfectly. I love music and studied piano but I just don't have any virtuosity. But I can make a sewing machine sing!

I photocopied music from a music book to create the "sheet music" because I had no DSP with music, trimming away all printed information. (Hmmm... copyright?) The music paper was adhered to the black card base. The paper with musical instruments was backed with craft foam and adhered. The partial keyboard was die cut from black cardstock adhered to white and adhered to the card. The circle and sentiment were die cut and adhered.

The metal "gems" were added in keeping with the sketch. The inside of the card was lined with white cardstock and decorated with a scrap of musical patterned paper.

This card is being submitted to:


1. Cut It Up Challenge #120
    (Theme: Music)





2. Sweet Sketch Wednesday 2 Challenge #111
    (Flipped the sketch.)







3. Crafting from the Heart Challenge #152




Products
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Basic Black, Hello Honey
Paper: Moxie "Music in Me"
Dies: Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circles, Memory Box Piano Border, Momenta Word Die
Misc.: Craft foam, "gems" from stash

Flower - CAS

Clean and simple cards are tricky for me. I am not sure when there is too much stuff to be considered as staying within the boundaries. But here goes...

A flower was stamped with Versamark ink on watercolor paper then heat embossed using pearl embossing powder. Using ZIG watercolor markers and an Aquapen, the image was colored, allowed to dry, then fussy cut and backed with clear foam tape. On a panel of white cardstock, the grunge mark was stamped and the flower adhered.

A panel of plum cardstock was adhered to the white card base. A panel of yellow cardstock was offset onto the plum, then the white was adhered, also offset. The inside of the card was decorated by stamping the same image but in plum ink.

This card is being submitted to:


1. Color Throwdown Challenge #440





2. CASE This Sketch Challenge #219






3. Addicted to Stamps and More Challenge #238



Techniques: CAS, stamping, heat embossing, water coloring, fussy cutting
Size: A2

Materials
Stamp: CTMH Happy Valentines & Stampin' Up! Gorgeous Grunge
Inks: Versamark; Stampin' Up! So Saffron; ZIG Clean Color Real Brush Markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Perfect Plum, Barely Banana (retired)
Paper: Stampin' Up! Watercolor
Misc.: WOW EP (silver pearl); Stampin' Up! Aquapen; Kool-tac Foam Tape (clear)

Caught a Bug?

5/19/2017 Update: Winner at The Male Room Challenge #59.






Have you ever questioned yourself with, "What was I thinking when I bought this?" That's how I felt about this stamp set after receiving it. It's kind of grown on me now that I have made a Get Well card with it.

On a panel of white cardstock, the bugs and beetles were stamped in multiple steps. Some of the stamps are two-step and some are three-step. A strip of vellum was added with the stamped sentiment then it was adhered to a taupe card base.

The inside of the card was lined with white cardstock and decorated with a line of stamped ants.

I am entering this card into the following challenge:

The Male Room Challenge #59






Techniques: Multi-step stamping, vellum
Size: A2

Stampin' Up! Materials
Stamps: Beetles and Bugs
Inks: Lost Lagoon, Coastal Cabana, Mint Macaron, Gumball Green, Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, Not Quite Navy, Real Red, Smoky Slate, Crumb Cake, Tip-Top-Taupe
Cardstock: Whisper White, Tip-Top-Taupe, Vellum

Other Materials
Stamp: Paper Smooches Healthy Vibes (sentiment)
Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Stazon Jet Black (sentiment)

The Great Outdoors - Masculine

If you have read my other posts, you may remember I am on a mission to reduce the patterned paper in my stash. I made a little dent in my stash with this card. Two challenges in particular inspired the card - a sketch challenge and a theme challenge. (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

The bird, hedge hog and mushroom images were cut from patterned paper with a die. The bear was fussy cut from paper. (Cannot be cut in the Scan 'n Cut machine.) A panel of patterned paper was adhered to a vanilla card base. A panel of paper with fish images was backed with foam and adhered at an angle.

The mushroom, hedgehog, bird and bear were all adhered with foam tape. The sentiment was cut from patterned paper and adhered to a banner of vanilla cardstock and added in keeping with the sketch. The inside was decorated with a fussy cut fox with flowers in her hair.

The card is being submitted to the following challenges:

1. Cardz 4 Guyz #167
    (Theme: The Great Outdoors)



2. Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #209






Materials
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla
Paper: Photo Play Catch of the Day, Woodland Critters, Badges
Die: Simon Says Stamp Stitched Circles
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape); ZIG Wink of Stella (clear)

Cheers on Your Birthday!

Wanting to participate in a photo card challenge led me to create this birthday card. I used a sketch challenge for the layout.

The flowers, leaves and stems were stamped and die cut. The oval pieces were also cut from dies. The card was assembled by applying the black and white patterned paper, the black cardstock and the yellow patterned paper onto a white card base. The oval shapes were backed with foam tape for dimension. The flowers, leaves and stems were adhered using foam tape.  The sentiment was cut with a die.

The inside of the card was decorated with three strips of cardstock matching cardstock on the front of the card. Clear Wink of Stella was added to the flowers to give them a sheen.

This card is being submitted to:

1. Just Us Girls Photo Challenge #390






2. The Paper Players Sketch Challenge #341








3. Crafty Creations Challenge #340

    (Anything Goes)




4. Paper Sweeties April Challenge #54



Techniques: Stamping, die cutting
Size: A2

Stampin' Up! Materials
Inks: Blushing Bride, Strawberry Slush, Pumpkin Pie
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black, Blushing Bride, Strawberry Slush, Garden Green, Pistachio Pudding, Pumpkin Pie
Paper: Everyday Chic (retired)
Misc.: Dimensionals (foam tape)

Other Materials
Stamps: Paper Sweeties "Pretty Posies"
Dies: Paper Smooches "Birthday Words"; Paper Sweeties "Pretty Posies"; Gina K Designs Ovals

Best Ever - CAS/Masculine

05/02/2017 Update: Winner at Watercooler Wednesday Challenge #116.






My stepson, Ross, has a birthday coming up so I decided to use a few challenges for inspiration to make his birthday card. Ross was always an outstanding baseball player throughout his youth and young adulthood. Although he no longer plays much, he still loves the game.

I made an effort to keep the card clean and simple plus low profile for easy mailing. Using patterned paper, the baseballs were fussy cut and adhered to a card base of navy blue cardstock. The stars were die cut or punched, then adhered - some with foam tape and some directly onto the card. The sentiment was stamped, fussy cut and adhered with foam tape. The inside of the card was lined with vanilla cardstock and decorated with die cut stars.

This card is being submitted to the following challenges:

1. CASE This Sketch #218











2. Watercooler Wednesday Masculine Challenge #116







3. Aud Sentiments Challenge #178
    (Use a Sentiment Stamp)





4. Crafting from the Heart #156
    (Anything Goes - Just for Fun)


Techniques: Stamping, die cutting, punch cutting, fussy cutting, CAS
Size: A2

Materials
Stamp: CTMH "Life Is Sweet"
Inks: Stampin' Up! Riding Hood Red, Night of Navy
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla, Whisper White, Real Red, Night of Navy
Paper: Moxxie "Play Ball"
Dies: Stampin' Up! Stars Framelits
Punch: Stampin' Up! Itty Bitty Accents Star
Misc: Stampin' Up! Dimensionals (foam tape)

Wild About You

It has taken some time for me to make the transition from the graceful, formal cards I am used to making with plenty of flowers and ribbons. I am trying to adjust to using stamp sets with cute critters and silly characters.

I thought the patterned paper was reminiscent of jelly beans, which I used to buy (and eat) when we would take the train from Tampa to the circus at Sarasota, Florida. This was the winter home of the Ringling Brothers Circus and was always a fun day for my older brother and me.

I actually saw a similarity between two sketches so decided to submit this card to both. The lion and stand were stamped, colored and die cut. The white oval, yellow vellum, balloon, string and banners were all die cut and layered onto the patterned paper. The sentiment was stamped directly onto the patterned paper so as not to detract from the colorful card. The inside was lined with a panel of white cardstock and decorated with die cut banners.

This card is being submitted to:


1. Atlantic Hearts Sketch Challenge #208








2. Hand Stamped Sentiments Challenge #262







3. Brown Sugar Challenge #247
    (Use a Die Cut)



Techniques: Stamping, coloring, die cutting
Size: A2

Materials:
Stamps: Reverse Confetti "Leaping Lions"
Inks: Memento Tuxedo Black, Copic markers
Cardstock: Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Basic Black, Lost Lagoon, Regal Rose
Paper: Day Spring Illustrated Faith; WRMK Party Vellum
Dies: Reverse Confetti "Leaping Lions"; Spellbinders Classic Ovals & Labels Eighteen; Craftin' Desert Divas "Party Dies"
Misc.: Stampin' Up! Dimensional (foam tape)

The Sweet Shoppe

After deciding to submit a card to a challenge, I realized I did not have the suggested paper collection. A friend came to the rescue with all of the paper, although I already had the card base ready to decorate. Never having made an awning card before and because one of the papers reminded me of roof tiles, I gave it a try. Such a simple design with a cute result! I especially like that the design folds flat for easy mailing. This card is sized for an A2 envelope.

The card base was scored and folded 1/2" from the center fold  at the top front and top back of the base. This 1/2" fold was adhered with strong adhesive. The awning was trimmed with die cut borders and adhered to the card front. A panel of coordination paper was adhered and a "shelf" was added with another die cut border.

I found the cute stickers in my stash and added them to the store front. I love the pretty cakes and French macaron biscuits. The inside of the card was decorated with a strip of coordinating paper and the donuts from this pack of stickers. I see all kinds of possibilities with this card fold - a Tiki bar, a quilt shop, a pet store, etc.

This card is being submitted to:

1. Color My Heart Color Dare #240









2. Three Amigos Blog Hop Challenge #1
    (Theme: Some Kinda Wonderful)


3. Between the Folds Challenge #44-B





4. Heart 2 Heart Challenge 
    (Theme: It's a Wonderful World)





5. Brown Sugar Challenge #247
    (Use a Die Cut)


Materials:
Cardstock: CTMH Lemon
Paper: CTMH : "Some Kinda Wonderful" Collection
Die: Sizzix Border
Misc.: Doodlebug stickers from stash