Sunday, October 25, 2020

Birthday Wishing

Hello friends!  I have a card to share that I made with a beautiful new stamp set from Colorado Craft Company.  The designer is Anita Jeram, who is a well known illustrator of children's books.  I love her style of illustration and fell in love with all the stamp sets in the new release.  Only two ended up in my craft room - at least for now LOL!

I'm joining three challenges - Tuesday Morning Sketches (for which I am just squeaking in under the time deadline), Seize the Birthday and Festive Friday (plaid, die cut, twine, brown).






The set used has a few different critters, so I decided to create a simple scene on a slimline size card, which worked beautifully.


Typically I color with Copic markers but felt some kind of watercolor medium would look better with these stamps, so I broke out my long neglected Zig Real Brush Markers.  Within the last year, Zig came out with some new, softer colors and a blender brush (woot, woot!) which really helped make coloring, shading and blending easier.  The cute creatures were stamped on a panel of Bristol paper die cut to be 3.25" x 8.25".  I used just two colors for the background to keep things simple, with pops of color for the present and the balloon.  The balloon was stamped a second time and fussy cut so when the frame was added it could be popped up outside of it.


Searching through my stash of patterned papers, I found an older MFT pad of plaids with just the perfect colors of aqua and greens, along with a bit of purple.  Three strips were trimmed down and adhered to the card base, then the main imaged was layered on with fun foam for dimension.  The balloon was covered with crystal glaze to make it shiny (which, of course, doesn't show up in the photos), and the final step was to add a small twine bow, which also conveniently hid a boo-boo that occurred while the frame was being glued to the panel. ;-)


Thanks so much for visiting, I appreciate it so much!  I hope you are continuing to remain safe and healthy, and have a wonderful week ahead!

Stef


Stamps:  Birthday Wishing (Anita Jeram Collection/Colorado Craft Company)
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Audrey Blue (Simon Says Stamp), Strathmore Bristol, Plaid Patterns 6x6 Paper Pack (MFT)
Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne, Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers
Other:  Slimline Nested Rectangle die (SSS), Slimline Series Envelope Builder die (scallop frame, Trinity Stamps), Bermuda Bay Thick Baker's Twine (SU ret.), Tonic Nuvo Crystal Glaze

Sleigh Ride for The Paper Players

 Hello friends and welcome back!  It's time for a new challenge at The Paper Players.  This week, the fabulous Jaydee is hosting and has given us this great sketch to get our creative juices flowing!

I'm also joining the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is to Layer It Up.

I recently acquired a few new products including some slimline dies that included a triptych, which was perfect for this challenge!  I also used a new Christmas stamp set that I think is super cute.  The scene with the village isn't long enough to fill three separate panels, so since Santa was going to cover up most of the middle one anyway, on a separate panel I just hand drew a couple of snowdrifts and colored in the sky.


I have been working on getting better with colored pencils, so I decided to use them to color the scene. The exception is the sky because by the time I got to it, my patience had worn thin (coloring with colored pencils is slow work!) and I broke out my Copic markers to finish it off. With the coloring complete, Santa in his sleigh was die cut with the coordinating die and then the village scene was die cut with the slimline window die, which was also used to cut out the glitter paper frame.


The village scene squares were layered into the openings on the glitter paper frame and I ended up using tape on the back to secure them into the frame.  In the future, I'll have the scene on one long piece of paper, if possible, then layer the frame over it.  But it all worked out in the end.  I used a white gel pen to add snow to the scenes and splattered white gouache on the navy layer.  Once the paint dried, the card was assembled adhering the layers to a 4"x 9" white card base, with Santa and the sentiment added with foam tape. And that finished things off!


Thanks so much for visiting, I really appreciate it!  I hope you are continuing to remain safe and healthy, and have a wonderful week ahead.

I hope you'll join us this week for this fun sketch challenge.  Be sure to use the links below check out all the terrific cards by the other DT members!

Stef



Stamps:  Santa's Sleigh Ride Slider (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Soft Navy (SSS), Shaded Spruce (SU), Glimmer (SU), Koh-I-Noor Bristol
Ink:  Gina K Obsidian Amalgam, Versafine Clair Green Oasis
Other:  Slimline Modern Embossed Frame Panels dies (Trinity Stamps), Sakura White Gelly Roll pen, White Gouache, Sentiment Labels die (SSS), Copic Multiliner pen, Faber Castell Polychromos Colored Pencils

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Magic for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge

Hello, friends and welcome back!  It's time for a new Tic Tac Toe challenge.  This week I am hosting and bring you this fun board to spark your creativity!  


I'm also joining the current challenge at Fusion where the current theme is Purple Night.  I think my card works pretty well for that!


In addition, I'm joining a brand new challenge blog called Two Old Bats Halloween challenge (hilarious!). The fabulous Dar and Diane from the Double D Challenge have created this fun new monthly challenge.  Looking forward to playing in the coming months.


For my card I went along the bottom row of the Tic Tac Toe board (scary, Halloween, purple).  I've had this fabulous dragon from a 2019 Stamptember set from Tim Holtz and decided he would be perfect in purple!


Isn't he just creepily delicious?  My family loves Halloween and I know my oldest grandson is going to love getting this.  I'll be sending my middle grandson the Halloween card here that I made for tttc085.  To begin, the dragon was stamped on Bristol paper and colored with Copic markers.  He was then masked off so the background could be ink blended with Distress Inks, then splattered with water and black gesso.  After the panel dried it was die cut with an oval die and layered on a larger black oval.


To create the background, a panel of Rich Razzleberry was stenciled with plum Nuvo Shimmer paste through a swirling star stencil that came with the stamp set.  Once that dried and was trimmed down, it was adhered directly to the black card base.  Next the main image was added with foam tape.  The sentiment, which I think is so droll it cracks me up, also came with the stamp set.  It was heat set on black, die cut with a label die and adhered to the bottom of the main image.  And that finished things off!


Thanks so much for visiting, it's really appreciated!  I've added a link to the challenge above so I hope you check it out along with all the fabulous cards by the other DT members, and hopefully join in the fun this week!

Stef


Stamps:  Stamptember2019 (Tim Holtz for Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Black, Rich Razzleberry, Strathmore Bristol
Ink:  Gina K Obsidian Amalgam, Fossilized Amber, Rusty Hinge, Seedless Preserves and Black Soot Distress
Other:  Essential Oval dies (Ellen Hutson), White Detail embossing powder (SSS), Dina Wakely Black Gesso, Star Swirl Stencil, Plum Spinel Nuvo Shimmer paste
Copics:  V09, 06, 05, 12, YG17, 23, 01, 00, Y23, 26, YR23, C5, 1

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Non-Traditional Thanksgiving

Hello, friends and welcome back!  I'm here to share a new card I've made for two challenges - Color Hues and Freshly Made Sketches.




I haven't made time to play in challenges very much the last few months and decided I would try to do so more often, when time allows.  Both the Color Hues colors (love complementary colors!) and Linda's fabulous sketch for FMS were great inspiration for my non-traditional Thanksgiving card.  Bonus is that these colors are the same as my BIL's favorite college football team, so he should love receiving this!



Starting with a panel of mixed media paper, I used a leaf stencil and Altenew orange dye inks to create the background panel.  Next the maple leaf was die cut from white card and colored with a variety of orange Copic markers to achieve some shading detail.  After both were complete I realized the background was too busy behind the maple leaf, so a panel of vellum was trimmed down and layered on top of the stenciled panel, nicely muting it and letting the big leaf be the star of the card.  I made the vellum longer than the panel and scored it so it could be folded over at the top and adhered on the backside of the panel.  Then, after the leaf and sentiment were added to the vellum layer, I lifted the vellum and added glue directly under the leaf and sentiment to more securely adhere it to the panel.


The sentiment was stamped on a strip of Ivory card in brown pigment ink and die cut with a label die. To assemble the card, I started with an Ivory card base, then layered on a scrap of long retired textured Pacific Point card.  The main image was added with some foam tape, adding a bit under the overhanging ends of the sentiment as well.  Finally, a couple of enamel dots were adhered and the leaf painted with a shimmer pen for a nice bit of sparkle.  I was tempted to add some gold elements but I'm not sure if that considered a neutral for the color challenge, so I restrained myself LOL!


Thanks so much for visiting, I really appreciate it!  I hope you're continuing to stay safe and healthy, and have a wonderful week ahead!

Stef


Stamps:  Thanksgiving Scene (sentiment, Pretty Pink Posh)
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Ivory (Simon Says Stamp), Pacific Point (Stampin' Up), Mixed Media (Vicky Boutin), vellum
Ink:  Versafine Claire Pinecone, Firebrick, Autumn Blaze and Orange Cream (Altenew)
Other:  Large Stitched Maple die (SSS), Sentiments Labels die (SSS), Floating Leaves Stencil (SSS), Warm and Cozy Enamel dots (Altenew), Tonic Nuvo Aqua Shimmer pen
Copics:  YR18, 07, 16, Y17

Poinsettia Greetings for Sunday Stamps

Hello friends, and welcome back!  It's time for a new challenge at Sunday Stamps and this week we have this fabulous sketch by Annette.  


I am working on completing more Christmas cards, so this sketch worked perfectly with my Poinsettia stamp set.


I recently received the lovely Plaid Tidings 6x6 designer paper from Stampin' Up and was eager to use it.  I chose the Cherry Cobbler plaid and set to coloring the poinsettias in Copic markers in colors similar to Cherry Cobbler.  Once that was complete it was now time to get all the elements ready.


I opted for a Shaded Spruce card base and decided to make a shaped card with the Elegant Rectangle dies from MFT.  An A2 size card was created from the spruce paper, then the largest rectangle die lined up just below the fold line and run through my Big Shot, followed by the plaid dsp in the next size smaller die, then the Bumblebee embossed panel with a smaller die (a rookie mistake - I should have embossed AFTER die cutting LOL! Oh well, the recipient likely won't notice).  The poinsettias were also die cut with coordinating dies.  The sentiment strip was left over from another card making session, so that was a time saving bonus.  The plaid layer was adhered directly to the base, then the Bumblebee panel added with foam tape, as was the sentiment.  After the poinsettias were layered on, they were brushed with an aqua shimmer pen, then gold glitter jewels added to the center and also on the card.


Thanks so much for visiting, I really appreciate it!  Be sure to use the link above to check out the challenge and all the beautiful cards by the other DT!  I hope you are remaining safe and healthy, and have a great week ahead!

Stef


Stamps:  Poinsettia (Waffle Flower), Holiday Greetings Mix 1 (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Bumble Bee, Shaded Spruce, Plaid Tidings 6x6 dsp
Ink:  Versamark, Gina K Obsidian Amalgam
Other:  Elegant Rectangle dies (MFT), Cable Knit 3D embossing folder (SU ret.), Antique Linen embossing powder (Altenew), Poinsettia matching dies, Gold Glitter jewels (Studio Katia), Aqua Shimmer pen (Tonic Nuvo)
Copics:  R59, 39, 37

Happy Birthday, Cupcake! for The Paper Players

Hello friends, and welcome back!  It's Sunday and that means it's time for a new challenge at The Paper Players.  The lovely Laurie is hosting our monthly CAS challenge with the theme of cupcakes.  Well, actually it can be pretty much any kind of cake or even cookies, just create something fun!


I'm also joining the current challenge at Seize the Birthday where the toppings option is scraps, and the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge with a theme to make a card and an envelope.



I started with the Big and Bold Cupcake from Colorado Craft Company.  This stamp is exactly as described, very big, so I decided to make a slimline style card with the cupcake hanging off the right hand side.  Here's a link to another card I recently made using the full stamp on a 6x5" card.   


The cupcake was stamped three times - once on white card, once on a large scrap of patterned paper and once to decorate a slimeline envelope.  The cupcake on white card was colored with Copic markers, looking like my favorite chocolate cake with chocolate butter cream frosting and that yummy looking strawberry on top.  Once that was complete, it was fussy cut, as was the cupcake wrapper on the yellow polka dot paper and adhered together.


Next a die cut panel of white card was lightly stenciled with stripes in yellow, then adhered to the card base.  The stenciling came out very, very light in my photos - IRL it is more visible.  The cupcake was then added to the card with foam tape and the overhanging portion cut off.  The sentiment was die cut first from yellow card and layered on the brown shadow but I just didn't like it, so a second sentiment was die cut from white and adhered over the yellow, which actually worked out great to give it a bit of dimension.  The last steps were to paint the cupcake, strawberry and sentiment with a shimmer pen and add three small clear dew drops.  Pretty CAS for me, not many layers. and with some white space and fairly uncluttered.


Thanks so much for visiting, I really appreciate it!  I hope you're continuing to stay safe and healthy, and have a great week ahead!  

Be sure to check out the challenge linked above plus all the fabulous inspiration from the DT members linked below!

Stef



Stamps:  Friend Cupcake (CCC)
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Early Espresso, SU Brights DSP paper stack (retired) in Daffodil Delight
Ink:  Gina K Obsidian Amalgam, Squeezed Lemonade Distress Oxide
Other:  Happy Birthday Brush Script die (Simon Says Stamp), Slimline Nexted Rectangles die (SSS), Slimline Stripes Stencil (Trinity Stamps), Small Clear Dew Drops (Honey Bee), Tonic Nuvo Aqua Shimmer pen

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Poinsettia

 Hello friends, so glad you're here!  I'm sharing a card made for the current challenge at Fab Friday where they have this great sketch.


For my card I decided to use the Poinsettia stamp set from Waffle Flower and pair it with a pretty plaid patterned paper from Honey Bee.


To emulate the flourish in the sketch, I used the largest stamp in the set to span across the rectangle.  I started by coloring the floral spray with Copic markers that coordinated with the plaid paper, then die cut it with matching dies.


To assemble the card, the panel of plaid dsp along with a scrap of Desert Storm were die cut with stitched rectangle dies then mounted on the white card base.  The sentiment was stamped in black on white card, trimmed down to a small rectangle then mounted on a slightly larger black rectangle.  After everything was adhered to the card I decided to use a gold metallic Sharpie to color in the little "berries" and the center of the poinsettia, plus carefully go around the edges of the white portion of the sentiment.  Finally, a few matte gold sequins were adhered for a bit of bling.


Thanks so much for visiting, I really appreciate it!  I hope you're continuing to stay safe and healthy. Enjoy your upcoming weekend!

Stef


Stamps:  Poinsettia (Waffle Flower), Gnome for the Holidays (sentiment, Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Neenah Solar White and Desert Storm, Black, Holiday Traditions patterned paper (Honey Bee)
Ink:  Gina K Obsidian Amalgam Ink, Versafine Clair Nocturne
Other:  Gold Metallic Sharpie, Stitched Rectangle dies (SSS), Poinsettia matching die, matte Gold Sequins (SSS)
Copics:  R59, 46, 27, 05, BG99, 96, 93, G94, 82, 43, 40, G25, 09, 03, YG03

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Thankful for The Paper Players

Hello friends and welcome back!  It's time for a new challenge at The Paper Players!  This week the fabulous Ann is hosting our monthly color challenge and has picked some beautiful autumn colors to spark your creativity.


I'm also joining the current challenges at Freshly Made Sketches and, for my first time, Festive Friday.


(CAS, embossing, sparkle, circles)

My card is indeed very CAS.  The card base and panel were made from watercolor paper because I like the warmth of the off white color for fall as well as the subtle texture.  


I pulled out the Elegant Leaves stamp set to use and found I already had two leaves colored with Copic markers that matched up nicely with Crushed Curry and Cajun Craze.  The large part of the sentiment was from the same stamp set and was stamped on the die cut rectangle panel, then the leaves were adhered along with a linen thread bow.  The smaller part of the sentiment was stamped on Ivory card, die cut with a small circle die, then layered on a slightly larger Cinnamon Cider circle.


To assemble the card, an embossed strip of Mossy Meadow was adhered directly to the base, then the die cut main panel was added to the card with fun foam for a bit of dimension.  It seemed a little bare, even for a CAS card, so I added a few sparkling clear sequins around the panel.  The leaves were also treated with an aqua shimmer pen for some additional sparkle.  This card was a breeze to put together and thanks to Jen Timko for the great sketch!


Thanks so much for visiting, I really appreciate it!  Be sure to use the link above to check out the new Player's challenge and links below to see the beautiful cards by the other DT members.  I hope you remain safe and healthy, and have a great week ahead!

Stef


Stamps:  Elegant Leaves (Sunny Studio)
Paper:  Mossy Meadow, Cinnamon Cider, Neenah Solar White, Canson XL
Ink:  Gina K Chocolate Truffle Amalgam, Versafine Clair Acorn
Other:  Stitched Rectangle die (SSS), Nested Infinity Circle dies 8 (Hero Arts), Elegant Leaves matching dies, Boho Chic embossing folder (SU), Linen Thread, Copic markers

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Spooky Pumpkins for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge

Hello friends!  It's time for a new Tic Tac Toe challenge!  Claire is hosting this week and has brought us this fun board to play with.


For my card, I used the right hand column - pumpkins, orange, fall.  I decided to play with the fun Oddball Naughty Pumpkins stamp from Stamping Bella.  


Aren't they a hoot?  I began by stamping the image on a panel of white card and then decided I wanted to ink blend the background, so I had to cut masks for everything.  It wasn't too fiddly except for some of the teeny leaves.  But I persevered and got it done.  I used Distress Oxide inks in Crackling Campfire, Wilted Violet and Black Soot for the sky and some walnut stain for the ground.  Once done, it was splattered with lots of water to get that awesome oxidation and I think it made the background even a bit more spooky looking.


While the panel dried, I die cut the word spooky from white card three times and once from Pumpkin Pie to give it some dimension.  All those layers were then adhered to the black shadow.  I love that look!  The rest of the sentiment came from some CZ Design sentiment strips.  

Once the panel was dry, it was die cut with the wonky rectangle die, then I used Copic markers to color the pumpkins and leaves.  I used the SB packaging with Elaine Hughes' coloring of the image to get the shading detail.  She is genius!  If you like to color with Copics or colored pencils, I definitely recommend visiting her blog linked here.  Yup, I'm definitely a fan girl!  

But I digress.  With the coloring complete, the panel was adhered directly to the black card base, then the die cut sentiment and sentiment strips added to complete the card!


Thanks so much for visiting, it's always greatly appreciated!  I hope you continue to remain safe and healthy and have a great upcoming weekend!

Be sure to use the link above to join us for this fun challenge this week and also check out all the  fabulous cards by the other team members!

Stef


Stamps:  Oddball Naughty Pumpkins (Stamping Bella)
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Black (Simon Says Stamp), Pumpkin Pie (Stampin' Up), Reverse Halloween Sentiment Strips (CZ Design/Simon Says Stamp)
Ink:  Gina K Obsidian Amalgam; Crackling Campfire, Wilted Violet, Black Soot, Walnut Stain DOX
Other:  Wonky Rectangle Die (SSS), Spooky sentiment dies (SSS)
Copics:  YR18, 07, 16, Y17, YG99, 97, 93, C3, E59, 57

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Thankful for Sunday Stamps

 Hello friends and welcome back!  It's time for a new challenge at Sunday Stamps and this week we have a lovely color board to spark your creativity.

I'm also joining the current Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

For my card I used one of my favorite fall stamps with pretty pumpkins and sunflowers.  I stamped it in brown Copic-friendly ink and used Copic markers in colors similar to the challenge colors.  I think I even used every color!


Light and dark oranges were used to color the pumpkins, but when it came to the flowers I went with two lighter orange markers to differentiate them from the pumpkins and offer a bit of contrast.  Browns were used for the flower centers and pumpkin stems, then a reddish brown was used for the berries. I didn't realize how much more red it was until I was editing my pictures, so I kind of goofed on that color. I finished up with the leaves (I'd forgotten how many there were to color ha ha!), then the image was die cut with an oval die and mounted on a slightly larger oval die cut from Cinnamon Cider (ooooh, do I love that SU In Color!).


Next came the card base, which was made with Neenah Desert Storm.  I scored it in half and put it in my Misti, then used two leafy border dies to stamp repeatedly on the base in white pigment ink.  While that dried, the sentiment was heat embossed on the same paper then die cut with the coordinating die. The main image was then added to the base with fun foam, leaving room for the sentiment at the bottom edge of it. As a final step, a few clear dew drops were added.


Thanks so much for visiting, it's really appreciated.  I hope you are continuing to remain safe and healthy and have a great week ahead!

Be sure to use the link above to check out the beautiful cards from the other DT members and join us for this fall color challenge!

Stef


Stamps:  Fall Pumpkins (Impression Obsession), Fall Borders (Pretty Pink Posh), Clean Line Gratitude (CZ Designs/Simon Says Stamp)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White and Desert Storm, Cinnamon Cider (SU)

Ink:  Unicorn White (Hero Arts), Versamark, Gina K Chocolate Truffle

Other:  Essential Oval dies (Ellen Hutson), Clean Line Gratitude matching die, Small Clear Dew Drops (Honey Bee)

Copics:  Pumpkin  YR18, 07, 16, Y17; Flowers Y38, 35, 21, E59, 57, 55; Berries E19, 97; Leaves YG67, 25, 23, 17, 03, 01


Sweater Weather for The Paper Players

Hello friends!  It's time for a new challenge at The Paper Players!  This week the amazing Claire is hosting Fall Critters for our monthly theme challenge.

I'm also joining the current Anything Goes challenge at Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

I chose to use one of my favorite stamp sets that fits the PP theme exactly, with the cute critters from Sweater Weather. Hanging around with their coffee mugs and fun sweaters just cracks me up! 


The critters were stamped on Neenah Solar White and colored with Copic markers, then die cut with the coordinating dies.  The sentiment from another stamp set was stamped on Ivory with Rusty Hinge Distress Oxide Ink, then trimmed down.  Next, a number of Distress Oxide inks were blended in a gradiant on a panel of Bristol paper, then splattered with water and Rusty Hinge and set aside to dry.


The Ivory card base was layered with a trimmed down sheet of Harvest Festival patterned paper.  The frame was die cut three times, the top layer in the yummy Cinnamon Cider card stock, adhered together then glued to the dry and trimmed down blended panel, then added to the card base.  The sentiment and critters were popped up with foam tape and I thought I was finished.  But I thought it still needed a little somethin' somethin' more, so I used three long retired SU wood elements to add that finishing touch.


Thanks for visiting, I really appreciate it!  I hope you continue to remain safe and healthy, and have a great week ahead!

Be sure to use the link above to check out our latest PP challenge and to the other DT members below for some amazing inspiration!

Stef



Stamps:  Sweater Weather (MFT), Jack-O-Lantern (sentiment, Honey Bee)
Paper: Neenah Solar White, Ivory (SSS), Cinnamon Cider (SU), Strathmore Bristol, Harvest Festival (HB)
Ink:  Gina K Chocolate Truffle; Walnut Stain, Rusty Hinge, Wild Honey and Scattered Straw DOX
Other:  Blueprints 27 frame die (MFT), Sweater Weather matching dies, wood elements (ret.SU), Crystal Glaze (owl's glasses)
Copics:  Moose-E37, 35, 34, 33, 31; Sweater YR18, 07, 16, Y17, YR27, 24, Y19, 15; Owl E47, 44, 43, 42; Sweater YR27, 24, Y19, 15; Fox: E19, YR18, 14, 21; Sweater BG78, 49, 45; Beaver: E49, 47, 44, 43; Sweater YR18, 07, 16, Y15