Elphie Birthday Wishes

Hello friends!  Today is the final day of the 30-day Coloring Challenge and I used the adorable Elphie Selfie stamp set to create a cute birthday card to join the challenge.  Unfortunately, as I was trying to quickly finish my card tonight in order to get it uploaded, I accidentally cut one of my fingers (those darn super sharp paper snips!) and the bandage is making my typing very slow, so this will be a brief post.  I hope to come back in the next day or two to add more details.

The adorable elephant and balloon were stamped on Tim Holtz watercolor paper and colored with a water brush and Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers and die cut with the matching Lawn cut dies.  I also used the new Perfectly Plaid dsp from Lawn Fawn atop the Neenah Solar White card base.

The Paper Players provided my card design inspiration with their current sketch challenge, and I'm also entering the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge (Anything Goes) and the very first Lawn Fawnatics Challenge (birthday).  All links below.

30 Day Color Challenge

PPA 337

SSS Wednesday Challenge

Lawn Fawnatics #1

Thank you so much for visiting.  Please be sure to use the links above to visit the challenges and enjoy all the amazing inspiration!

Stef

Adore You Hello

Hi there friends!  Today I have a couple cards to share that I'm making as part of a birthday gift for a friend.  For the first card, I've used the current sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for my card design.

FMS 280

Well, I just had to pull out my new Adore You stamp set again and use a couple of the beautiful floral and leaf images from the set.  I started by stamping them on Bristol paper with Versamark then heat embossing them with clear embossing powder.  After water coloring with Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers and a water pen, they were die cut with the matching die set.

Believe it or not the Zig marker I used from the flowers was Purple, but the photo came out more like a fushia color in the lighter areas of the petals.  The color also changed a bit when I added some clear Wink of Stella.  For the background panel I ran a piece of Neenah Solar White through my Big Shot, first with the Large Polka Dot embossing folder, then the largest Wafer Stitched Rectangle dies.

The sentiment was an unused leftover from another project.  I trimmed down the ends to fit the space on the card, then layered on the die cut flowers and leaves.  After the panel was added to the card base, a few sequins were adhered.

The next card was a work in process for a while.  The stamp is one I bought before Valentine's Day but did not use for that occasion, instead using it to make a card one could use any time.

The Impression Obsession stamp was heat embossed with Copper embossing powder on watercolor paper and colored with Zig markers and a water brush.  Originally I had tried to use a lighter blue in the background but it didn't have enough contrast against the turquoise color used for the sentiment.

After a few days of letting it languish in the reject pile I decided to try adding purple to the background and love how it turned out. 

I trimmed down the watercolor paper, leaving a wide border so I could add the word "you" that was die cut from Copper Foil paper.  That was mounted onto a Bermuda Bay card base, then sequins and Copper Penny Nuvo drops were added to finish things off.

Thanks for visiting, as always it's so appreciated!  I've added a link to the challenge above, so please be sure to use it and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration.

Stef

Product details

Card #1

Stamps:  Adore You (Altenew)

Paper:  80# and 110# Neenah Solar White, Strathmore Bristol

Ink:  Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers

Other:  Large Polka Dot embossing folder (Stampin' Up!), Wafer Stitched Rectangle and Handlettered Greetings dies (Simon Says Stamp), Adore You matching dies, Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, Clear Wink of Stella

Card #2

Stamps:  Love (Impression Obsession)

Paper:  Bermuda Bay, Watercolor, Copper Foil

Ink:  Versamark, Zig Markers

Other:  Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder (SU), Kuratke Water Pen, Pretty Pink Posh Sequins, Nuvo Copper Penny Crystal Drops, Handlettered Greetings die (SSS)

Big on Green

Hi there!  I've made a rather bold, green birthday card that I think is pretty spare (in the CAS sense) that I think you could use for either gender.  I've used the current challenges at Freshly Made Sketches and Color Throwdown for my creative inspiration.

FMS 279

ctd 434

I saw the color challenge and love the combo, but since I don't send cards for St. Patrick's Day, I made a birthday card instead using that fabulous sketch from FMS.

This is a very simple card, in fact the hardest thing was to get the sentiment centered on the panel before heat embossing with gold embossing powder.  Fortunately, my Misti came to the rescue, making that part fairly easy.  The white and black horizontal pieces were trimmed down and then I hand cut the flag ends.  Next, the embossed panel was layered on the smaller gold foil piece then popped up with Dimensionals. Adding the gold enamel shapes was the final touch. 

Thanks so much for visiting!  Be sure to use the links above to the two challenges and check out all the amazing inspiration!

Have a great week!

Stef

Product details:

Stamps:  Big on Birthdays

Paper:  Whisper White, Emerald Envy, Basic Black

Ink:  Versamark

Other:  Gold Stampin' Emboss power, Gold Enamel Shapes

Sending Love

Hello and welcome back!  I have a card to share with you that I made using the current sketch at Mojo Monday.  I'm also joining Kathy Racoosin's fun 30 Day Coloring Challenge.  Already half way through I finally had a piece to share!  If you're not familiar with her challenge, be sure to use the link below to Day One and all the gorgeous subsequent posts. 

Mojo 488

30 Day Coloring Challenge - Day 1

I started by stamping and heat embossing two flowers and leaves from the gorgeous Adore You stamp set from Altenew on some watercolor paper.  I then grabbed some pink Zig Clean Markers and my waterbrush and went about coloring the flowers.  Two of the pinks are more of a salmon color and the others more of a candy pink (I guess?).  Love the mix anyway.

Once the water coloring was done and the images die cut, I worked on the white card stock panel using a stencil and some Spun Sugar Distress Ink.  My tool was a Clarity Stencil brush and it worked beautifully to lightly spread the ink over the stencil.  Once complete, I cut that panel and the smaller one with Simon Says Stamp Wafer Stitched Rectangle dies.  Foam tape was used to add the large panel to the card base and the flowers to the small panel.  The final touches were to add the sentiment (from the same stamp set) and various sequins. 

As always your visit and comments are so appreciated!!  I've added links above to both challenges, and I strongly urge you to use them to check out all the amazing inspiration.

Thanks for visiting!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Adore You

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Basic Black, Tim Holtz Watercolor

Ink:  Versamark, Spun Sugar Distress Ink

Other:  Zig Clean Color Markers:  Light Pink, Peach Pink, Tea Rose, Pink Flamingo, Mid Green and Olive Green, Yellow and Bright Yellow; Hero Arts White embossing powder, SSS Wafer Stitched Rectangle dies, Adore You dies, Kuretake Detail Water Brush, Tim Holtz Bubble Stencil, Clarity Stencil Brush, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear and Sweet Pea sequins

Sorbet Celebration

Hello, I'm back with my second post of the day.  It's the beauty of a super CAS card - you can knock it out in just a few minutes.  This card was made using the fun sketch at CAS(E) this Sketch.

CTS 212

As soon as I saw the sketch, I knew I was going to use it for a birthday card for one of my co-workers.  Digging through my stash of designer series paper scraps, I found two patterns from Sweet Sorbet, which was available free during the Stampin' Up! Sale-A-Bration three years ago.  I love the colors and some of the designs also include black, which gives it a nice pop.  But for this card I settled on designs with softer colors.

I first added the strip of Sahara Sand card stock to the white card base, then adhered the pieces of dsp, then trimmed everything that was overhanging the card.  I wanted the ease of using a die cut sentiment but I didn't have a birthday one that would fit, so then I remembered I had some wood sentiments and it fit perfectly.  The last step was to add the colored dots in colors similar to those in the dsp.

That's it!  As always, your visit and comments are so appreciated!  I've added a link above to the CTS challenge, so be sure to head over there and check out all the amazing inspiration.

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  None

Paper:  110# Neenah Solar White, Sahara Sand, Sweet Sorbet dsp

Ink:  None

Other:  Subtles Candy Dots, Expressions Natural Elements

Hello

Hi there!  Hope your weekend is going well!  Today I'm sharing a card that required no ink or stamps and was a snap to put together.  I've used the sketch challenge from Fab Friday and also the color challenge at The Paper Players as inspiration for my card.

FF 107

PP 335

I started with a 110# Neenah Solar White card base, layered a slightly smaller piece of minty green and white designer series paper, then added the doily and ribbon.  Did I mention this card came together so quickly?  ;-)

Next I took a strip of embossed Mint Macaron card stock, adhered it to a slightly larger piece of white card stock, then popped it up on foam tape.  The sentiment, cut 3 times with a die from MFT and layered to help it pop up a bit more, was then glued it to the embossed panel.  Added a few silver enamel shapes and, done!

Thanks for taking time to visit!  Please be sure to head over the both the challenges and enjoy the beautiful inspiration - the links above will take you directly to the current challenges.

Have great week ahead!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  None

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Mint Macaron, Birthday Bouquet dsp

Ink:  None

Other:  Tea Lace Paper Doily, 5/8" White Organza ribbon, Elegant Dots embossing folder, Metallic Enamel Shapes, Hello There die (MFT)

Wonderful Friend

Hello, I'm back again with another card to share.  Today I had some fun creating a wet on wet background on watercolor paper, using Bermuda Bay and Rich Razzleberry inks.  It took a few tries to get the "Goldilocks" moment where the colors were just right, but it was fun to mess around with different looks.

After drying the water colored panel with my heat tool, I flicked clean water drops on it with my paint brush, patted dry with a paper towel, then added flicks of white gouache and Clear Wink of Stella.  It was trimmed down and strips of Copper Foil were added to the sides.  The dragonfly and sentiment were both heat embossed with Copper Stampin' Emboss powder and die cut with Thinlits.  After the panel was added to the card base with foam tape, the clear droplets were adhered to the front.

I used the current sketch from Freshly Made Sketches for inspiration for my card layout.  I've added a link below to the challenge, so be sure to head over there to enjoy all the beautiful inspiration!

FMS 278

As always, your visit and comments are so appreciated!  Thanks for coming by and I hope the remainder of your weekend is enjoyable!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Dragonfly Dreams

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Tim Holtz Watercolor paper, Copper Foil

Ink:  Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry, Versamark

Other:  White Gouache, Pretty Pink Posh Clear Droplets, Detailed Dragonfly and Gift Card Envelope Trim Thinlits, Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder

Flower Patch Birthday

Hello again!  I have a card to share with you that I made for 3 different challenges - the color challenge at Sunday Stamps, the sketch challenge at Mojo Monday and The Paper Players theme challenge to "Cut it Out".

SSC 147

Mojo 486

PP 334

I ended up using a color mix of peach, aqua and crumb cake {love!}, with a little green, and using the flowers and a leaf from the Flower Patch stamp set.  I am ever so grateful to have my Misti to stamp the solid images - it has already paid for itself in the amount of paper I have saved from the recycling bin LOL!!  Once the stamping was complete, the images were cut out with the coordinating die set.

Julee's fun sketch this week gave us fun tilted panels, on the largest of which I layered the big, peach flower and stamped the sentiment from Mixed Borders.  The smaller panel was made with a fun stamp from the long retired Bitty Backgrounds.  The peach paper in the background is actually a piece from the In Color Envelope Paper collection.  It's a lot lighter weight than normal designer series paper but works perfectly layered on a card stock panel.  And I love all the little dots and circles.  Although there are a lot of layers, this card came together relatively quickly.

As always your visit and comments are so appreciated!  I've added links above to the respective challenges, so be sure you head over there to see all the beautiful inspiration.

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Flower Patch, Mixed Borders, Bitty Background

Paper:  Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Pool Party, 2016-2018 In Color Envelope paper

Ink:  Peekaboo Peach, Pool Party, Pear Pizzazz, Bermuda Bay, Versamark, Basic Black

Other:  Flower Fair Framelits, Linen Twine, Crushed Curry Stampin' Emboss Powder, Candy Dots

Copper Dreams

Hi there!  Today's card is one made with the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  I love it's wide open space, giving one lots of options for design.

FMS 277

I was trying to decide on what to make and was inspired by a leftover die cut of one of the Detailed Dragonfly Thinlits from Stampin' Up! that had been cut from Copper Foil paper.  I thought I would create an ombre background using inks in the blue/turquoise family and that would really make the copper pop.  I pulled out 3 Distress Inks and used an ink duster to apply to a panel of Strathmore Bristol.  Starting at the bottom with the lightest color, Tumbled Glass, I then added Peacock Feathers for the middle and finished it off with Mermaid Lagoon.  Using a mister, the panel was sprayed lightly with water, then I took the spray nozzle out of the mister and used it to drop some larger water drops on the panel as well.  After letting it sit for a minute or so, I then laid a clean paper towel over the top to soak up the water and create the water spots.

I was trying to find a good configuration for the large Dragonfly die cut when the light bulb went on and I realized this layout would be much better with the multiple dragonfly die, which I had not yet used.  Cutting out foil paper is always a bit of a challenge because the die can chip away some of the foil on the edges, so I was happy to get this one safely removed from the die without incident!  Before adhering to the ombre panel I splattered some Clear Wink of Stella across the panel to add a bit of sparkle.  Love that!

For the sentiment, I used one that's included in the Dragonfly Dreams stamp set, and heat embossed it with copper embossing powder on Basic Black card stock.  I knew it would be a little tricky to photograph because the copper doesn't pop like embossing it with white, and I was right.  I had to redo my first round of photos because the lighting wasn't bright enough.  Fortunately, IRL it looks just fine.  But in redoing my photos I ended up with less of the color differentiation on the inked panel. 

Thanks so much for taking time to visit!  It's always so appreciated, and of course I'd love to hear from you if you have a moment to leave a comment.  I've added a link above to the FMS challenge, so please be sure to head over there and enjoy all the incredible inspiration.

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Dragonfly Dreams

Paper:  Basic Black, Neena Solar White, Strathmore Bristol, Copper Foil

Ink:  Versamark; Distress:  Tumbled Glass, Peacock Feathers, Mermaid Lagoon

Other:  Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Sequins, Inkylicious Ink Duster, Clear Wink of Stella, Detailed Dragonfly Thinlit