Feelin' Crazy

Hello again!  I hope you've had a good weekend.  Mine seemed to fly by and now it's late Sunday afternoon.  I have a funny card to share made for this week's challenges at Freshly Made Sketches, Just Add Ink (JAI 281) to use our three favorite colors and the Splitcoaststampers weekly Ways To Use It (SCS WT550) to use punctuation.

On SCS, there have been many cards over the last 3 months with the funniest birds from Stampers Anonymous, and I've admired them from afar.  However, I was in my local stamp shop this last week, where they had just received their first shipment of the stamps and I just could not resist bringing them home with me!

This little guy looked a bit out of sorts, so I thought he would be perfect for a get well card.  I started by stamping the image with Archival Basic Gray ink on watercolor paper and colored him, primarily using an Aqua Painter and reinkers.  The main colors of Bermuda Bay, Pool Party and Crushed Curry, are some of my favorite to use together.  For coloring the yellow, I actually started out with So Saffron, then added Crushed Curry and Delightful Dijon to deepen the color and add shading.  I realized after I was done that I had not left enough room on the watercolor paper for the pennant tail, so I stamped him a second time on Whisper White, then cut out the water colored version, adhering over the top.

A goofy bird deserved a less than polished sentiment, so I pulled out my seldom used Alphabet Rotary Stamp to create the rustic looking get well wishes, including an exclamation point.

Thanks for the visit, and as always, I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave comment.  Great inspiration awaits you if you use the links above and check out the wonderful design team creations!

I hope you have a wonderful week ahead!

Hugs,

Stef


Product details:
Stamps:  Bird Crazy (Stampers Anonymous)
Paper:  Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party Core'dinations, Watercolor 
Ink:  Archival Basic Gray, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Pool Party, So Saffron, Delightful Dijon, Pumpkin Pie
Other:  Boho Chic TIEF, Aqua Painter, Alphabet Rotary Stamp, Crushed Curry Baker's Twine

Wetlands Birthday

Hello.  I'm winding up the weekend and have one more card to share with you.  A friend at work is celebrating his birthday, so both challenges at Freshly Made Sketches and ColourQ provided inspiration for a masculine card.

Freshly Made Sketches

ColourQ

The blues and sand were perfect for use with the Wetlands Stamp, but I wasn't sure where to incorporate Kiwi Kiss, but a look through my box of designer series paper scraps yielded the final piece of Kiwi Kiss that I own - just meant to be!

Starting with a rectangle of watercolor paper, the bottom half was made wet then Sahara Sand ink was randomly inked across the entire piece.  I did the same with the top half, using Soft Sky and Not Quite Navy.  After the color was satisfactory, I dried the piece with my heat tool then stamped the greeting and the birds.  The final touch was adding a Vintage brad to the corner.

As always, your visit and comments are so appreciated.  Do use the links above to check out all the wonderful design team inspiration.

I hope you have a great week ahead!

Hugs,

Stef


Product details:
Stamps:  Wetlands
Paper:  Whisper White (interior), Sahara Sand, Soft Sky, Not Quite Navy, retired Kiwi Kiss dsp
Ink:  Soft Sky, Sahara Sand, Not Quite Navy, Archival Basic Gray
Other:  Antique Brad, Aqua Painter

Balloon Birthday

Hi there and welcome back!  Yes, a second post today.  This time I am sharing a card made for my sister's young granddaughter who is celebrating her birthday next week. 

The cheerful colors used were mainly taken from the happy polka dot designer series paper, which was cut with the largest Squares Collection framelit.  All the balloon parts were stamped then also cut out with the coordinating framelits. 

Strands of Whisper White Baker's Twine were snipped then taped to the back of the balloons.  Once the balloons were adhered to the card, the strands were tied together with a bow and glued to the paper with a touch of the new Fine Tip Glue Pen.  It's not as strong a Crystal Effects but it works fine for lightweight items.

Thanks for the visit, and as always, I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment!  

Hugs,

Stef

Product details:

Stamps:  Celebrate Today

Paper:  Whisper White, Pool Party, So Saffron, I Am Me dsp

Ink:  Real Red, Pool Party, So Saffron

Other:  Balloons and Squares Collection framelits, Whisper White Baker's Twine.

Spooky Forest

It's a lovely Saturday here in Sherwood, with the last vestiges of Summer hanging on until Fall (and the rain) begins in a few days.  But here I have a definite fall card to share with you today, using one of my favorite Halloween stamps.  I am entering this in the current challenge at Just Add Ink to add glimmer to your card (JAI 280). The layout is from a sketch for a prior Fab Friday challenge (Fab Friday 72).

The stamp was inked up with Archival Basic Black.  I then masked where the moon would be and sponged Old Olive, Cajun Craze and Rich Razzleberry, deeply applying the ink around the sides.  Markers were then used to color the tree and leaves, the pumpkin and the eyes of the owl and cat.

I knew I wanted to use one of the new Spider Web doilies behind the image, so the stamped image was cut with a Circle framelit small enough to show a good edge of the doily.  A bit of sparkle was added with a circle of Champagne Glimmer paper behind the doily and a strip of the new Black Glimmer paper.  Everything was adhered to a piece of distressed and sponged Wicked Fun designer series paper.  It's been retired for a few years but I was able to pick up a package of it on the SU Clearance Rack either last year or the year before.  Due to the size of the doily, I ended up making this a 5" x 7" card.

Thanks for the visit and I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment!  Be sure to use the link above to see all the wonderful DT card designs at Just Add Ink plus there is still time to play along.

Hugs,

Stef


Product details:
Stamps:  Haunted Forest
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Champagne and Black Glimmer Paper, Wicked Fun dsp
Ink:  Archival Basic Black, Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron; Markers:  Early Espresso, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight
Other:  Circles Collection framelits, Spider Web doily, Rich Razzleberry Grosgrain ribbon

Sunset Birthday

Hello and welcome back!  Inspiration struck once again between the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge and this week's color challenge at Paper Players, which I used to make a card for the upcoming birthday of a nephew.

Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge

The Paper Players

When I saw both challenges, a sunset scene immediately came to mind.  I decided to use one of my favorite stamps, Sail Away, which is perfect for the type of scene I was envisioning.

The main image started out with the sail boat stamped in Archival Basic Black.  I punched the sticky part of a Post It Note with a 3/4" circle just short of the full circle for the sun, then masked the horizon and the sails before sponging the sky.  I started with So Saffron, the worked the sponge with Tangelo Twist from the mask line up the sky line, leaving a golden glow at the outer part of the scene.

A mask was then placed over the sky portion and Lost Lagoon was sponged to create the water.  I tried to keep the dark water to the outer parts with the portion in front of the sun lighter then the rest.

The sketch calls for cutting off the left side of the circle but I decided to alter it for this scene and instead kept the full circle and made the card skinnier (3 3/4" x 5 1/2") so it could still keep within the standard A2 size.

Well, that's it then.  So glad you visited and would love to hear from you if you have time to leave a comment.  Do use the links above to enjoy the amazing inspiration and also play along with the challenges, as there's still time.

Thank you for visiting and I hope the remainder of your week is nothing short of fabulous!

Hugs,

Stef


Product details: 
Stamps:  Sail Away, Small Phrases (Verve)
Paper:  Whisper White, Lost Lagoon
Ink:  Lost Lagoon, Tangelo Twist, So Saffron, Archival Basic Black
Other:  Circle Collection framelit, Cloudy Day TIEF, Lost Lagoon Stitched Satin ribbon

Hey, Gorgeous

Hi there!  Thanks for taking the time to visit.  CAS(e) this Sketch has a sketch this week that was perfect for making a card for a teenager, which is perfect as I continue to make cards for the Cards for Kids organization.

CAS(E) this Sketch

While I lean towards making cards with more layers, it is so fun to let loose and minimize with a Clean and Simple (CAS) card as I did with this one.  It was fast, easy and so fun to make with this great layout!

I stamped two different stamps from Gorgeous Grunge on the high and low sides, plus the splatter dots from the same stamp set, then added a piece of Boho Chic Washi Tape in the middle.  The sentiment from the Just Sayin' stamp set finished it off.

Thanks for looking!  As always, your visit and comments are so appreciated.  Be sure to use the link to see all the amazing inspiration.

Hugs,

Stef


Product details:
Stamps:  Gorgeous Grunge, Just Sayin'
Paper:  Whisper White
Ink:  Tangerine Tango, Smoky Slate, Bermuda Bay
Other:  Boho Chic Washi Tape

Wild About You

Hi there again!  This week Just Add Ink has a fun sketch challenge that worked well for another card to donate to the Cards for Kids organization.

Just Add Ink

I decided to stamp then fussy cut the giraffe from the Wild About You stamp set, so her long neck and head would pop up above the circle, then the sentiment was added with a banner to the side.

The Cajun Craze and Blackberry Bliss washi tape is from the 2014 Holiday catalogue, and makes a "wild" color combination with the bright yellow of the giraffe and the designer paper in the background.  The big spot stamp from Gorgeous Grunge was inked up with Cajun Craze, stamped off once, then stamped on the dsp in the background.

Thanks for looking!  As always, your visit and comments are so appreciated.  Be sure to use the link above to enjoy all the wonderful inspiration on the JAI blog.

Hugs,

Stef


Product details:
Stamps:  Wild About You, Gorgeous Grunge
Paper:  Very Vanilla, Cajun Craze, Blackberry Bliss, Moonlight dsp
Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry
Other:  Color Me Autumn Designer Washi tape, Bitty Banner framelit, 2" Circle & 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punches, Paper Snips

Autumn Thoughts

Hello, again!  I had a productive time in the craft room yesterday afternoon, including finishing up with my card for this week's challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.

Freshly Made Sketches

Because I wanted to use the new Happy Scenes stamp set, the center shape became a window on a fall scene.  I had some retired designer paper with lovely fall colors that became the "wallpaper" around the window.

After stamping the scene in Chocolate Chip I used markers to color the pumpkins, leaves and clumps of grass.  I then used a blender pen to give the grass some texture and movement, plus using the marker directly on the paper would have made the grass color too dark.  The sky was sponged with Soft Sky.

A piece of Crumb Cake was stamped with the Hardwood stamp, then the window frame was cut out with the new Hearth & Home Thinlit.  I lightly sponged a little bit of Crumb Cake ink around the edges just to give it a bit more dimension against the background design.  If I were to replicate this card, I might try a darker brown card stock for the frame but the lighter brown was used because I wanted to make sure the wood grain was visible.  

So glad you made your way to my blog today!  I would love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment. Do be sure to use the link above to check out all the wonderful inspiration plus there's still time to join in.

Hugs,

Stef

Product details:

Stamps:  Happy Scenes, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Hardwood

Paper:  Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Early Espresso, Spice Cake designer series paper

Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky, Old Olive.  Markers:  Pumpkin Pie, Delightful Dijon, Old Olive, More Mustard, Early Espresso

Other:  Hearth & Home Thinlit, Brights Candy Dots, Blender pen

Soaring By

Hi there and welcome back!  Hope your weekend is going well.  The sketch at Mojo Monday this week had so many fun layers I just had to join in!  The card I made with it is another to be donated to the Cards for Kids organization.

http://mojomonday.blogspot.com/

I decided to use an old Papertrey Ink stamp set with sentiments that are fun and have great fonts.  The balloons were cut from Tempting Turquoise card stock with 3 different sizes of punches for the balloons, which were then stamped with the stars and dots from the Celebrate Today stamp set.  They were then popped up on dimensionals over the balloon baskets. The PTI stamp set calls for buttons to be used as the balloons but I wanted to avoid the bulk of that by using card stock.

The cloud embossing folder seemed perfect to go with the stamped images, and with the horizontal piece across the middle, I was able to have the bottom part of the panel remain unembossed so the sentiment could be stamped in the bottom right corner.

Thanks for taking a look today.  As always, your visit and comments are so appreciated!  Be sure to use the link above to enjoy all the inspiration plus there's still time to play along.

Hugs,

Stef


Product details:
Stamps:  Celebrate Today, Everyday Button Bits (PTI)
Paper:  Whisper White, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise, Polka Dot Parade dsp
Ink:  Pear Pizazz, Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise
Other:  Scallop Border punch, 1" and 3/4" Circle punches, Itty Bitty Accent Punch Pack (smallest circle), Banner framelit, Cloudy Day TIEF, Whisper White Baker's Twine

Zooming By and Sayin' Hi!

Hi there and welcome back!  Tonight I've got a couple of cards to show you using a stamp set from The Craft's Meow (no longer in business) that I purchased a few years ago and are perfect for kids.  I used this week's sketch challenge at Splitcoaststampers for the second card.

SC556

The stamp set is Vintage Rides and these two are my favorites images.  Both were colored with Blendability markers, the airplane in Coastal Cabana and the scooter in Melon Mambo.

I made three cards with each stamp.  For the airplane, it was stamped twice, once on the designer series paper (no you are not seeing things, two different dsp backgrounds were used), then on Whisper White card stock.  The plane stamped on card stock was colored with the Blendability markers then cut out with paper snips and adhered to the dsp.  I think it looks so cute cruising above the clouds and trees!

The super cute scooter stamp (love those flames!) was stamped on a rectangle of Whisper White and colored with Melon Mambo Blendability markers and Encore Silver ink with a blender pen for all the chrome pieces.  The background is divided between Whisper White card stock embossed with the Large Polka Dot embossing folder and a piece of the retired Welcome Neighbor designer series paper.

Thanks for looking!  As always your visit and comments are so appreciated.  Be sure to use the link above to check out all the wonderful inspiration for the sketch challenge at SCS.

Hugs,

Stef

Hello Goose

Hello again!  I have a card to share that is one of several I've created for Cards for Kids, an organization that sends cards to sick children in various hospitals.  I used this week's Freshly Made Sketches challenge for my card layout.

Freshly Made Sketches

I decided that the goose image from Storybook Friends would work perfectly in that small rectangle in the sketch.  The colors Cucumber Crush and Pumpkin Pie made this a bright and cheerful card.

The goose was stamped on watercolor paper, then the image was colored with an Aqua Painter and reinkers.  After that dried (using a heat tool), this was a quick card to assemble, even with making the matching envelope.

Thank you so much for taking time to visit today and of course I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment.  Be sure to use the link above to enjoy all the great inspiration plus there's still time to join in.

Hugs,

Stef


Product details:
Stamps:  Storybook Friends
Paper:  Whisper White (interior), Cucumber Crush, Pumpkin Pie, Watercolor, 2015-2017 In Color Envelope paper
Ink:  Archival Basic Black, Cucumber Crush, Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky
Other:  Envelope Punch Board, Tangelo Twist button (from 2015 Saleabration), Linen Thread, Aqua Painter