Tall Tales

Hello and welcome.  Today I'm sharing a card that I made for the 500th Freshly Made Sketches challenge, where they are celebrating a decade of challenges!  Congratulations to Lesley and the DT team members past and present, for having one of the best and most successful challenge blogs!  Here's the sketch by the lovely Linda Callahan, who was one of the original team members.

FMS 500

I'm also joining the current Color Throwdown Challenge as the colors worked perfectly for my card.

CTD 657

I ended up rotating the sketch 90 degrees, putting the left panel at the top of the card, represented by the bookshelf.

I just adore this stamp set and I think it will be perfect with a gift of books. The sentiment really speaks to me because as a kid I was a voracious reader.  The libraries in Portland, Oregon were some of my favorite places to be growing up. 

I stamped the images on a panel of white cardstock, colored them with Copic markers then used the coordinating dies to cut them out.  The size of the images required making a 5" x 7" card, so I used my A7 rectangle dies to cut both a white and black panel.  

Next Dew Drop ink was lightly blended on the top of the panel, fading off to white.  Unfortunately is was so light that my camera had a hard time picking it up but IRL it looks nice.  Next the sentiment was stamped in black pigment ink and the panel adhered to the larger black panel, then added to the Fog card base.  I used my T-Square ruler to keep the bookshelf straight when I glued it onto the panel then popped up the stack of books and our little reader with foam squares.  The final touch was to use some Glossy accents on her glasses as well as the dots on the vase and a couple of the book bindings.

FMS has been one of my favorite challenges, although it seems the last couple of years I haven't played along as often as I would like.  I was looking back in my photo history and found that the first FMS challenge I joined was #14 in December of 2011.  I had to chuckle at my card because clearly at the time I didn't understand the concept of clean and fresh lol! Ah, yes, back in the days of distressing and sponging all the edges....

Thanks so much for visiting, I always appreciate it!  Take care and stay safe!

Stef  

Stamps:  Tall Tales (Altenew)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Black, Fog (Simon Says Stamp)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Clair Nocturne, Dew Drop (Altenew)

Other:  Tall Tales dies, Glossy Accents

Copics:  R59, 46, 24, 14, YG67, 17, 05, 03, BG05, 02, 01, 000, W5, 3, 1, C9, 7, 5, E79, 59, 51, 47, 44, 43, 35, 33, 31, 30, 21, 11

Best Wishes

Hello and welcome! I hope you're continuing to stay safe and healthy.  Today I'm sharing a card made for the challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  

FMS499

 

I'm also joining the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme is to "Add A Sentiment".  

(This is my 2nd post today.  If you're here to see my DT post for Sunday Stamps you can find it here.)

I really loved Jen's sketch but as I was making my card, I forgot the sketch was a square and made my card an A2 size.  

I've had this pretty succulent stamp for a few weeks and thought it would work well with the sketch.  It's a large stamp so I was able to flip it around and get different looks for each corner.  A muted color combination seemed most appropriate for these succulents so I went with very desaturated green, blue-green and violet colors for my Copic coloring.  The lightest of the BG colors was barely visable after coloring, so I took one of the lightest violets and went around all the edges of the large succulents.  Unfortunately, it's hard to see in the photo but in real life it looks pretty.  Then I used a BG0000 to create a light halo around all the succulents.

Next I trimmed down the panel to 4" x 5.25", stamped the sentiment with black pigment ink, layered 4 pieces of inexpensive white cardstock on the back to provide some dimension, then adhered it to the white card base.  Three iridescent sequins finished things off.

Thanks for taking time to visit, I really appreciate it.  Take care and stay safe!

Stef

Stamps:  Elegant Succulent Sentiments (Memory Box Open Studio)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Accent

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Clair Nocturne

Other:  Sequins from my stash

Copics:  BG18, 72, 70, 0000, V95, 93, 91, G28, 24, 21, 20

Home Sweet Home for Sunday Stamps

Hello and welcome!  It's time for a new sketch challenge at Sunday Stamps and we're using one that I created. I hope you like it and are inspired to come play along with us!

Sunday Stamps

For my card, I used another of the stamps illustrated by Anita Jeram.  I think I am rather obsessed with this line of stamps lol! And I still have a few that are waiting to be inked up!

This was such fun to color.  I love the English cottage look and the cute cats and doggie in the window.  Using my Copic markers I started with the gray cottage.  When coloring such a large area, it's hard to avoid lines, which is just the nature of alcohol markers.  So, to hide the lines, I used some colorless blender on an old washcloth and dabbed it over the entire background to give it a nice texture.  Once that dried I could go about coloring the remainder of the scene.

With the coloring complete, I trimmed down the panel to fit on a slightly larger piece of white cardstock, then layered that on a piece of green cardstock.  Foam tape was then used to adhere it to the Fog card base.  I used a white gel pen to add stripes to one of the flower pots and polka dots to the curtain in the window.  I tried to add a sentiment but nothing seemed to work without covering up some part of the scene that I didn't want covered, so I ended up putting it on the interior and stamping two flower pots that are stand alone stamps in the set.

And that finished things off!

Thanks for taking time to visit, I really appreciate it!  Be sure to use the link above to see what beautiful designs the other DT members created with the sketch and hopefully join us for this challenge!

Take care and stay safe!

Stef

Stamps:  Home Sweet Home (Colorado Craft Company/Anita Jeram)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Fog (Simon Says Stamp), Evergreen (Concord & 9th)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Clair Nocturne

Other:  A7 Layers Rectangle die, Sakura White Gelly Roll pen

Copic Markers:  

Cottage:  W5, 3, 1, Colorless Blender

Wood Door and Stool:  E29, 37, 35, 33, YR24, 23, Y15, 13

Awning and flower pot leaves:  G28, YG45, G21

Grass:  YG67, 17

Pots and curtain:  B39, 26, 24, 21

Kitty by door:  T8, 6, 2, 0

Kitty on stool: YR18, 14, 31

Dog: YR 21, 23, 24

Tessie the Teacher for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge

Hello and welcome!  It's time for a new Tic Tac Toe challenge and this week I have come up with this fun board to hopefully spark your imagination!  

Tic Tac Toe Challenge

My card actually covers a number of the rows and columns in the tttc challenge but my initial choice was the left column (blue, globe, books).

I'm also joining the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where this week's theme is to Add A Sentiment and Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

WWC322

My card is all about cheering on the teachers as they head back to school!

I've actually had this Tessie the Teacher stamp from Stamping Bella for over a year but never had a chance to use it until now.  However, on my recent visit to their website, it appears it's been retired, so I'm happy I got it when I did.  I stamped the image and set out to color it with Copic markers.  Initially, I wasn't going to create a background but decided it really needed it, so I used my T Square ruler and drew a couple lines to create the floor and the wallboard, leaving it very simple as the image itself has a lot of small details.

With the coloring complete, I used a deckled edge rectangle die to trim down the panel and added it to the red card base with fun foam.  To complete the card, the sentiment, also from the same stamp set, was stamped in black pigment ink, die cut and mounted on the panel with thin foam squares.  I thought the main image was busy enough embellishments weren't necessary.  

Thanks for the visit, I always appreciate it!  Be sure to use the link above to check out the fabulous cards by the other DT members, and hopefully be inspired to play along with us this week!

Stef

Stamps:  Uptown Girl Tessie the Teacher (SB)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Real Red (Stampin' Up)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Clair Nocturne

Other:  Deckled Frames die (Waffle Flower), Sakura White Gelly Roll pen, Marvy gold gel pen, Copic markers

No Words

Hello and welcome!  I have a card to share that I made for the challenge at Just Us Girls, where we are to use only black and white.

JUGS 597

I'm also linking this up to the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the current theme is "Add a Sentiment".

This is my second post today.  If you're looking for my Birthday Bear card you can scroll down after this post or find it here.

I love to color so it was fun to challenge myself to make a card without it.  And the card came together much more quickly!

I decided to use one of my newer favorites from Altenew, the Tree Peony build a flower stamp set.  All the images were stamped twice and die cut with the coordinating dies.  Next I die cut the Diamond Frame cover die twice from white cardstock, mostly for stability, layered them together and adhered to the black panel.  Once that was done, I determined the layout I wanted with the die cut images, stuck them together with some Press and Seal, then used a combination of glue and foam squares to adhere the bouquet to the card front.

The sentiment is from the same stamp set and it was white heat embossed on black cardstock, trimmed down then added on top of the one flower with thin foam squares.  I debated about adding the white enamel dots but in the end I felt it needed that little something extra to complete the look.

Thanks for taking time to visit, I really appreciate it.  Take care and stay safe!

Stef

Stamps:  Build-A-Flower: Tree Peony (Altenew)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Black

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark

Other:  Tree Peony matching dies, Diamond Frame Cover Die (Altenew), Essential B&W Enamel dots (Altenew), Fine Detail White embossing powder (Simon Says Stamp)

Bear Birthday

Hello and welcome!  I'm sharing a card that I made for the challenges at The Paper Players and As You See It.

PP554

AYSI #256

Quite honestly I have many animals I consider my favorites and bears are one of them.  My card uses a real fun one that has lots of accessory stamp sets.

This was a fun and easy card to make.  The bear, his party hat and balloons were all colored with Copic markers.  I used the colors from the patterned paper as the inspiration for the hat and balloon colors.  They were all cut with the matching die set.  One of the things I love about the bear die is that it cuts around his arms to you can create scenes were he is holding things.  So cute!

After die cutting the bear and accessories, I stamped the sentiment and die cut the circle.  The strip of patterned paper was adhered to the navy card base, then the circle added with thin foam squares.  I determined where I wanted the balloons and also popped those up with thin foam squares after tying on the linen thread.  The bear was adhered to the circle with thin foam squares, making sure not to stick down his right arm (leg? 😁) before tucking in the strands of linen thread.  Some navy enamel dots finished off this quick, easy and relatively CAS birthday card.

Thanks for visiting, I really appreciate it!  Have a great remainder of your week!

Take care and stay safe!

Stef

Stamps:  All Inside and Bear Ware (Ellen Hutson), Watch This (sentiment/Colorado Craft Company)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Soft Navy (Simon Says Stamp), Enjoy the Ride 6x6 paper pack (Altenew)

Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Clair Nocturne

Other:  All Inside and Bear Ware dies, Nested Circle Infinity die (Hero Arts), Linen Thread (SU), Sakura White Gelly Roll pen, Glacier Caves Enamel Dots (Altenew)

Copics:  B99, 97, 95, 93, YG17, 05, 03, 01, E79, 57, 35, 33, 31

Hibiscus Blooms

Hello and welcome!  Today I'm sharing a card that I made for a couple of challenges - The Flower Challenge and Addicted to Stamps.

TFC #59

ATSC #411

I decided to go outside my comfort zone by using colors I normally wouldn't, because I was inspired by a prior color challenge at Splitcoaststampers, with the colors of Pale Papaya, Calypso Coral and Pear Pizzaz.  In a web search I found a photo of a hibiscus that was a near perfect match for those colors, so I went for it!

The floral image was stamped and colored with Copic markers.  I used quite pale peachy colors for the flower petals, then added the coral to the flower center and stamen.  It's difficult to get much contrast with the pale colors, and after I colored the stem and leaves where I achieved better contrast, I really felt like I had to do more to increase it on the flowers.

I searched through my Polychromos colored pencils and came up with Cinnamon for the lighter portion of the petals then used a reddish brown and two reds to enhance the flower center.  When I was happy with the results, the image and the stamped sentiment were both die cut.  I had the white oval in my stash unused from a prior card making session, so I adhered that to the Pale Papaya card base, then added the floral image and sentiment with foam tape.  Lastly, I added a few white satin sequins to finish things off.

Thanks for taking time to visit, I really appreciate it!  

Take care and stay safe!

Stef

Stamps:  Hibiscus Blooms (Simon Says Stamp)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Pale Papaya (Stampin' Up)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black

Other:  Hibiscus Blooms dies (SSS), Essential Ovals die (Ellen Hutson), Satin White sequins (Altenew)

Copics:  R24, R02, 01, 00, G46, YG17, 13, 11

Polychromos pencils:  189 Cinnamon, 118 Scarlet Red, 126 Permanent Carmine, 283 Burnt Sienna

Birthday Silhouette for Sunday Stamps

Hello friends, welcome back!  It's time for a new challenge at Sunday Stamps!  This time we're bringing you vibrant color choices for our latest color challenge!

Sunday Stamps

I'm also playing along with the current Seize the Birthday challenge with the "toppings" choice of adding stripes.

STB #220

For my card I used three of the colors (purple, red and orange) from the SSC board to create stripes or bands of color across the sky behind my silhouette scene.

To create the background, I started by scribbling 3 Tombow markers in the challenge colors on a plastic pallet.  A panel of Fabriano Artistico watercolor paper was then adhered to a board, covered in clear water then I used a paint brush to drop in the colors starting with the orange then adding the other two, blending them as I went.  I really wanted vibrant colors and the Tombows worked beautifully for that, although the purple didn't come out quite a bright as I hoped.

I let the panel dry overnight then stamped the floral and butterfly silhouette image with pigment ink and clear heat embossing it.  I have "issues" with black embossing powder so this is my method of embossing something black 😆.  I let that cool, then splattered the panel with black ink spray and white gouache.  When the splatter dried the panel was die cut and mounted on a black layer, then added to the white card front with foam tape.  The sentiment was white heat embossed on black, die cut with the coordinating die and adhered to the panel with thin foam squares.  I opted not to add any sequins or gems.

Thanks for taking time to visit, I always appreciate it!  Be sure to head over to the SSC blog to check out all the beautiful cards by the other DT members and hopefully be inspired to play along with us!

Stef

Stamps:  Silhouette Sentiments (Simon Says Stamp)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Black, Fabriano Artistico Extra White watercolor

Ink:  Verafine Clair Nocturne, Versamark, Tombow markers

Other:  Elegant Rectangle Stax dies (MFT), Hero Arts Ultra Fine Clear embossing powder, SSS Fine Detail white embossing powder, white gouache, Jet Black Ink Spray (Altenew)

Let's Connect

Hello friends, I hope you're doing well!  Today I have a fun card to share that I made using the colors from the current Color Hues challenge.

tch #23

When I first spied this challenge I was all set to do my normal, e.g. color some sort of floral image (lord knows, I have enough of those stamp sets lol!).  However, I decided to go a bit outside the box for me and use this absolutely cute die that needed some love. Well, actually three dies that did....

When I landed on the idea of creating this phone, it had to be yellow, just like that one from my youth, although ours was a wall phone.  Still, having grown up with a dial phone, this die set stole my heart!  I started by die cutting the phone handle and base once from yellow and two more times from white for some dimension.  Before adhering the layers, I used a bit of Fossilized Amber Distress ink around all the edges of the top layer to give it a bit of roundness to the pieces.  The dial was cut once from white cardstock.  

Next, the sentiments were all die cut from Polished Pink cardstock, which is one of the new In Colors from Stampin' Up.  The "let's connect" die was used two more times to cut from white cardstock and layered up for dimension.

Before putting the card together I created a background using a light yellow cardstock stenciled with white pigment ink dots.  I let that dry, trimmed it down and adhered directly to the white card base.  Then I positioned all the pieces for spacing, adhering them all down with liquid glue.  Using the hello die for the cord is not an original idea, I saw Daniel West use it on his card here, plus I've seen others on Pinterest and other places.  But I had to do it because I think it's so clever!  With everything adhered, my card was finished.  It will be going to a special friend back in Portland of a "similar" age who will get a kick out of it.

Thanks for visiting, I really appreciate it!  

My post for the Tic Tac Toe challenge went live today at noon, so if you're interested you can check it out here.

Take care and have a great weekend!

Stef

Stamps:  none

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Daffodil Delight and Polished Pink (SU), Lemon Chiffon (Simon Says Stamp)

Ink:  Fossilized Amber Distress, Sharktooth White Pigment (Ink on 3)

Other:  Dial Phone, Let's Connect and Hello Beautiful Gorgeous dies (SSS), Wonky Dots Stencil (MFT)

Happy Fall for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge

Hello friends and welcome back!  It's time for a new Tic Tac Toe Challenge and this week the lovely Claire has brought us this terrific board.

Tic Tac Toe Challenge

For my card, I went down the left side column - sunflower, embellishment, yellow.

I'm also joining the current Addicted to Stamps Challenge, where the theme is make your mark.

ATSC #411

I love sunflowers and all the colors of fall, so this card makes me very happy!  Before I started coloring the large sunflower and leaf image, I went through my patterned papers and found this fun plaid with just the perfect colors.  I stamped the main image and also stamped two additional sunflowers with the intent of popping them up with foam tape.  I colored everything with Copic markers, and I'm not going to lie, it took quite a while.  But what fun and I love the results.  Rather than leave the background and edges white, I decided to color it with a light blue-green marker, then I used the coordinating die to cut it out.  I ended up fussy cutting the two extra sunflowers so they would fit seamlessly on top.

The stamp set has a very large thanks stamp and matching die but I didn't want to use it and cover up all the images, so I went searching through my stamp sets for just the right sentiment.  It was stamped in brown pigment ink then die cut.  Due to the size of the image, I made this a mini slimline card measuring 6.25"x 3.25". I used a mini slimline stitched rectangle die to cut the patterned paper and adhered it directly to the card base.

To give dimension to the base image, I die cut it three times from inexpensive heavy weight white card stock, adhered all the layers together then glued it to the card front.  The two sunflowers were added using thin foam squares, as was the sentiment.  A few antique gold sequins and some gold gel pen dots in the flower centers finished things off. 

Thanks for taking time to visit, I really appreciate it!  Be sure to use the link above to check out the fabulous cards by the other DT members and hopefully play along with us this week!

Stef

Stamps:  Big Thanks Autumn (Simon Says Stamp), Jack-O-Lantern (sentiment, Colorado Craft Co.)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Accent Opaque Digital white (Amazon), Plaid Tidings patterned paper (Stampin' Up)

Ink:  Gina K Chocolate Truffle Amalgam, Versafine Clair Pinecone

Other:  Big Thanks Autumn dies, Featured Sentiment die (Altenew), Mini Slimline Essential Bundle Stitched Rectangle die (Pinkfresh Studio), Satin Antique Gold sequins (Altenew), Gold gel pen (Marvy)

Copics:  [G28, YG45, 41] [G46, YG17, 13, 11] [R59, 46, 27, 05] [R08, YR16, 15, 21] [YR24, Y19, 15, 13] [E79, 29, 39] [V09, 06, 01] [E33, 31, 30] BG 000