Just For You for Sunday Stamps

Hello and welcome!  It's time for a new challenge at Sunday Stamps and this time we have lots of bright colors for you to choose the three minimum to use on your card.

Sunday Stamps

I used the blue, bright green and coral in creating my tulip die cut card.

The Altenew Craft-A-Flower: Tulip Full Bloom dies worked perfectly with this color combo.  The leaves and stems were first die cut from Concord and 9th Sprout cardstock, then I ink blended Altenew Lime and Fresh Leaf inks towards the bottom to get a little shading and color variation.  For the flower petals, I started with white cardstock then ink blended them with Altenew Coral Bliss and Heartbeat inks.  When the inks dried all the pieces were adhered together using the packaging instructions.

Next I ink blended Simon Says Stamp Pawsitively Saturated inks in Marine and Cadette primarily in the middle of a white panel, then die cut it with a Hero Arts Rounded Rectangle die.  The sentiment from Altenew's Fancy Greeting fit perfectly in the lower corner and was stamped in their Obsidian Pigment ink.  After adding the panel to a Hero Arts Pitch Black card base, the flowers were adhered then I added just a small amount of black splatter, using my Black Soot Distress Watercolor pencil.

So which colors will spark your creativity?  I do hope you'll join our color challenge, and for more inspiration, head over to the challenge blog to see all the lovely cards by the other DT members.

Take care!

Stef

Persian Motifs for Color Hues

Hello friends!  It's mid-month and time for a new challenge at Color Hues.  Marcia has chosen a beautiful color combination of blue and turquoise.  

Color Hues

For my card I used a long neglected stamp set from Altenew.  I think Persian Motifs was one of the very first stamp sets I bought from them years ago and I decided it was high time I revisited this set.

I used all three floral images from the set, along with a few other small stamps, stamping around the edge of a white panel. I was so pleased with how well the dark blue and blue-green Copic markers blended, it made it fun to color.  I didn't worry about a light source per se, I just wanted the centers to be nice and dark before moving out to the lighter turquoise.

The rest of the card was a snap to put together.  The Altenew Fancy For You sentiment was die cut twice, once from Concord and 9th Midnight and once from Simon Says Stamp Matte Silver, then layered with the dark blue acting as a shadow.  The panel was trimmed down, adhered to a Midnight card base, then the sentiment attached along with a few Lucy's Cards Dark Sapphire Mix Jewels.  

Please be sure to head over to the challenge blog for some incredible inspiration from the other Design Team members and hopefully be inspired to join us!  The challenge lasts until 9 am EST on March 29th.

Take care!

Stef

Copics:  B39, 26, BG07, 05, 02, 01, 000

Special in Every Way for The Flower Challenge

Hello friends!  I'm back with my reminder card for The Flower Challenge.  This month the theme is die cuts and/or stencils with flowers as the primary images and the challenge is open until Saturday 3/25.

The Flower Challenge

My card today uses a floral stamp from a new-to-me company - Alex Syberia Designs.  I was familiar with her from the past as a designer and illustrator, plus I believe she sold digital images, but now she has her own line of stamps and dies, and they do not disappoint!  All products on my card are from this company.

This stamp set is called Life is Good and the sentiment is also from the same set.  As usual, I stamped and colored the image with Copic and Sketchmarker Brush Pro markers.  I was really in the mood for some vibrant colors when I sat down to make this card, so I used some different marker combos to brighten things up.  When the coloring was complete, the image was die cut with the coordinating die.  The sentiment was white heat embossed on black and also die cut with a coordinating die.

Next - more die cutting.  I used the Classic Foliage die set to cut out leafy branches from Lawn Fawn Pearlescent vellum. Next, a panel of white was die cut with the Modern Stripes Cover die, then adhered to the white card base.  The foliage was arranged to stick out from behind the main floral image, then everything was adhered directly to the card front.  Lastly the sentiment was added with some thin foam squares.

I think most of us do have stencils and/or dies, so I do hope to see your card in the gallery!  In the meantime, the link above will take you to the reminder post so you can see the absolutely gorgeous card by my talented teammates!

Thanks for visiting and take care!

Stef

Copics:  YG67, 09, 05, 01, YR24, 23, Y08, 04, 02, BG15, 23, 10, RV69, 00

Sketchmarker Brush Pro markers:  V111, 114

Hugs for Sunday Stamps

Hello and welcome!  The first of March is already upon us (wait - where did February go??) and it's time for a new sketch challenge at Sunday Stamps.  This time Amy has given us a terrific sketch to work with so I hope you'll be inspired to join us!

Sunday Stamps

My card turned out to be very quick and easy to put together because the main image had been previously completed in a class I took recently.

In February I attended the Distress Watercolor Pencil class taught by the amazing Jenn Shurkus (link to her website here).  We learned to use the pencils in a variety of watercoloring applications, including using the pencils directly on our stamps along with water.  I was so thrilled with how this image from Stampin' Up's Nature's Harvest turned out I knew I had to use it on a card.  It was stamped multiple times onto Distress Watercolor paper using my Misti.  When I went to create this card, the panel was die cut with a MFT Stitched Modern Rectangle Stax die.

Next a piece of patterned paper from MFT's Plaid Patterns 6x6 paper pad was die cut with a larger size of the same die set and adhered directly to white card base.  I strayed from the sketch a little bit by wrapping Lawn Fawn hemp twine around the floral panel, then attaching a tag with the sentiment.  Both the sentiment and tag die are from Waffle Flower's Special Delivery Sentiments and Dies set.  Finally, I attached a Doodlebug Tiny Hearts Shaped Sprinkle to the tag.  There were green and yellow hearts in the packet but I liked the pop of red.

Lots of options with this sketch, I do hope you'll join us for this challenge!  In the meantime, be sure to pop over to the blog linked above and take a peek at the beautiful cards by the other DT members!

Have a great week and take care!

Stef

Distress Watercolor Pencils - Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, Vintage Photo, Twisted Citron, Rustic Wilderness.

Thank You for The Flower Challenge

Hello and welcome!  It's time for a new challenge at The Flower Challenge and this month the theme is to use die cuts and/or stencils, so pull out your favorite dies or stencils (of flowers, of course!) and share with us this month!

The Flower Challenge

For my card I did a little stenciling and quite a bit of die cutting.

I started by stamping the sweet Pinkfresh Studio Inky Bouquet in Memento Tuxedo Black, then colored the flowers and leaves with Copic markers.  Next I used one of the 6 layering stencils and colored the vase with Simon Says Stamp Surf and Seafoam inks.  I have really been on a kick with peach and aqua, but I'm lovin' it!  When the ink was dry, I put the image back in my Misti where I'd left my stamp in place, restamped with Versamark ink and gold heat embossed both the floral image and the sentiment.

After using the companion dies to cut out the floral vase and sentiment, I went to work on the background.  This time I used the Ring Panel cover die from Waffleflower, die cut from white cardstock and layered it directly on the white cardbase.  Next I used the companion dies to cut additional layers for the vase and the sentiment, adhered them together, then added them to the card front and I was done!

Thanks so much for stopping by.  Be sure to do the same with the challenge to check out the absolutely gorgeous cards by the other DT members and hopefully join us this month!

Take care!

Stef

Rain or Shine

Hey friends!  I'm back with a second post today, playing along with the lovelies at The Paper Players and Just Us Girls (you can find my Color Hues DT card here).

PP629

Just Us Girls 668

Even though we had snow the last three days, I still wanted to make a spring card with pastel colors, so I pulled out a cute Birdie Brown stamp set from MFT.

To create my card, I started by stamping and Copic coloring all the images from Rain or Shine.  I have to say the ducks in this set tickle me to no end and especially this happy little cutie!  After coloring, I used the matching dies to cut them out.

In an effort to minimize layers for a CAS look, instead of adding a background on a separate panel, I created my "shape" for the sketch by using a square die to emboss a smaller square on the card base, then masked off outside of it to add a bit ink blending in blue for the sky and gray for the ground.  Next, the puddle, splashes and cloud behind the sun were glued directly to the card front, then I used thin foam squares to pop up the remaining images and the sentiment.  The last touch was to add three raindrop clear enamel stickers from the Spring Enamel Stickers from Hero Arts.

Thanks for taking time to stop by!  Have a great week and take care.

Stef

Copic markers:  B02, 00, 000, V05, 01, 000, RV23, 21, 10, 00, YR24, 16, Y08, 04, 02, T2, 0, E29, 37, 33, 31, 11, 21, 00, 000, R20

Say Cheese for Color Hues

Hello friends!  A new month and a new challenge at Color Hues, and this time the fabulous Carol has given us timely combination of green and gold!  I can hardly wait to see what you do with this color duo!

Color Hues Challenge

I shopped my stash and came up with a never used die set, so I'm joining Darnell's NBUS (Never Before Used Schtuff) Challenge as well.

NBUS

The die set is from Spellbinders' Large Die of the Month Club for April 2022 called Say Cheese.  It was sooo fun to put together, I don't know why I waited so long!

So cute, right?  Seriously, this reminds me of one of the very old cameras my Dad had, and he had a number of them, both for work and for personal use.  If you look up 1950's Brownie camera on the internet, this is a near perfect match.  

All the pieces/parts were die cut from four shades of green (Concord and 9th Evergreen, Parsley, Sprout and Clover) along with Simon Says Stamp Matte Gold and Hammermill white cardstock.  It took me a while to figure out what all the pieces were for, but Spellbinders had great examples on their website, so I finally put it together.  

The die set also comes with a large "flash" unit that could be attached at the top, but I decided not to use it so my card could remain A2 sized.  The background was created with gold foil using the Waffle Flower Sunburst Foil Plate, trimmed down and added to Parsley panel that was adhered to the white cardbased.  I added the camera with foam tape than tucked in all the stems and flowers, plus added three small flowers to the front to finish things off.

Please be sure to pop over to the challenge (linked above) to see all the amazing cards by the other DT members and I certainly hope to see YOUR card in the gallery!  You have until 9 am on Tuesday, March 14th.

Take care!

Stef

Pink Christmas for Christmas Craft Creations

Hello friends!  The Christmas Craft Creations Challenge for February is up and running, and I'm here to share my reminder card and hope that you will come join us!  This month, it's all things pink - so make yourself a fun pink Christmas card and come play along with us, the challenge remains open through Tuesday March 7th.

Christmas Craft Creations

Oh, so many fabulous cards by the other DT members! If you're in need of inspiration, use the link above to see all the pretty pink.  For my card I used part of the Simon Says Stamp Holiday Gift Giving card kit that I never fully put to use during the holidays.

The beautiful poinsettia stamp is from the Holiday Gift Giving stamp and die set (still available at SSS), as is the sentiment.  I started by stamping the flower twice in Memento Tuxedo Black, leaving the stamp in my Misti, coloring with alcohol markers, then restamping with Versamark and heat embossing with SSS Ultrafine Silver embossing powder, then using the matching die to cut them out.  The sentiment was also silver heat embossed and cut out with its matching die.

Next, a panel of SSS Doll Pink cardstock was embossed with the beautiful Gina K Tapestry embossing folder and adhered directly to the white card base.  A smaller panel of white was sprayed at opposing corners using Irongate Distress Mica Stain Spray, and when dry, added to the card with foam tape.  The sentiment was die cut three times, layered together and adhered to the panel, then both flowers added with thin foam squares for just a small amount of dimension.  Lastly, some glorious crystals were added to the flower centers and also scattered about the panel.

Thanks for taking time to stop by!  I hope you're ready to get a head start on your 2023 Christmas cards and are inspired to play along with us this month.

Take care!

Stef

Copics:  RV19

Sketchmarker Brush Pros: V111, 114, 105

Boho Hello for Sunday Stamps

Hello friends!  It's time for a new color challenge at Sunday Stamps with a gorgeous color board.  I really love these colors and I hope it inspires you as well!

Sunday Stamps

I'm also joining the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the current theme is "Emboss It".

I ended up using the light blue and the greens on my card, along with neutrals gray and black.  I used some glossy black paper and had a heck of a time getting a decent photo, so I apologize for the quality - my camera definitely doesn't want to focus in on shiny or metallic things.

Oh, this card was so fun to make!  I used the branches and vases from Altenew's Boho Vases and palm branches from the Parlor Palm die sets, die cutting the them from three green cardstocks - Concord & 9th's Sprout and Parsley along with Simon Says Stamp's Green Apple.  The vases were die cut from SSS Black Glossy cardstock and I added hand cut scraps of white on the reverse side to cover the openings.  

The background was created by embossing a panel of Stampin' Up Balmy Blue cardstock with the new Altenew Masonry Wall 3D embossing folder then lightly swiping my Hero Arts Unicorn White ink across it to catch some of the layers.  I absolutely love the ef, it reminds me of the fireplace surrounds and walls in mid-century homes. When the ink dried, a strip of Lawn Fawn Gray Woodgrain cardstock was layered on the panel, then the vases were added with foam squares.  The branches were tucked into their respective vases, then I glued the base of the palms down, letting the tops pop up, and I used foam squares to adhere the smaller barnches.  The sentiment was die cut using the SSS Bold Hello die, twice from white and once from the black glossy cardstock.  Once that was adhered, then panel was added to a white card base to finish things off.

Thanks for visiting, I 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 join us!  The challenge will remain open until 4 pm MST / 6 pm EST March 3.

Take care!

Stef

Just a Note for Color Hues

Hello friends!  It's mid-month and time for another fabulous challenge at Color Hues!  This time the talented Tracey has chosen the colors Cyan and Lime Green.  Love this color combo!

Color Hues

Since I wanted to get the hue closest to cyan, I did a google search and found it is a greenish blue rather than a blue green, so I found what I felt was the closed ink color in my collection, one more on the blue than blue green side.  But quite honestly, I think anything in the green blue/aqua family would work for our challenge, so don't be intimidated by that.

I had been searching through my butterfly dies last month for one to use for a different challenge and realized I had this beautiful Birch Press Design Butterfly Basics die set that I'd purchased 18 months ago and never used.  So this seemed like the perfect opportunity.   I used the simplest combination of dies, cutting the base from white cardstock and the top detail piece from Lawn Fawn Pearlescent Vellum.  I blended Altenew Sea Breeze and Tide Blue on the base, concentrating the darker color in the middle, fading out to a very light blue.  The vellum piece was then glued on just in the middle, which was hidden under two of Lucy's Cards Silver Pearls.

Next a panel of white cardstock was ink blended with Altenew Bamboo and Parrot inks, this time blending the darker color on the outside and the lighter towards to middle.  While the ink dried, I die cut the Birch Press Epiphany Plate Layers A & B from white cardstock.  The dies cut the outer portion as well as two inner circle pieces.  I layered the two larger pieces on the lime panel, then added just one of the inner circles from Plate A, then adhered the butterfly in the middle with glue at the center, one layer of foam on the lower part of the wing and a double layer of foam under the upper part of the wing.  The Memory Box Just a Note Posh Script dies were cut from matte silver and white, adhered together then glued directly to the card.  The last touch was to add a few more silver pearls to pull the design together.  I love these colors and how this all came together!

I hope you're equally inspired by these colors and decide to play along with us - you have until 9 am EST on 2/28.  In the meantime, be sure to use the link above and check out the fantastic cards by the other DT members.

Thanks for stopping by - take care!

Stef

Wonderful in Every Way for The Flower Challenge

Hello and welcome!  Can you believe we're already at the middle of February? That means it's time for our reminder post at The Flower Challenge, where we'd like you to share your latest stamps or dies.  If you haven't joined us already, or wish to share another card, you have until 25th of February.  

The Flower Challenge

I'm also joining the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge where the theme this week is "Frame It".

I decided to go a different direction than on my first card for this challenge, using foiling and stenciling rather than Copic markers.

I used the new Pinkfresh Studio Wonderful in Every Way Hot Foil plate along with Spellbinders Blush Glimmer Hot foil to create this gorgeous image illustrated by Emily Midgett.  I also used the same foil to create the sentiment from the new Wonderful Sentiments.  The coordinating stencil was used to color the floral image with Pinkfresh's Peach Fuzz and Apricot inks, along with Altenew's Dew Drops and Aqualicious inks.  Love that combo!  With the stenciling complete, both the sentiment and floral image were die cut with matching dies.

I thought the flowers would look lovely framed up, and I finally settled on the Pinkfresh Fancy Oval Frame die out of Tonic's Copper Mine Satin Effect Mirror card stock.  It was layered on two additional white die cuts, then added to the front of the card that was covered with a white panel die cut with the Pinkfresh Floral Tiles Cover die.  The flowers and sentiment were then added with thin foam square under the areas not laying on the frame and that was it.

Please do join us for this challenge, we'd love to see your card in the gallery!  In the meantime, be sure to pop over to the challenge blog (link above) to admire the gorgeous cards created by the other DT members.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Take care!

Stef

Love Ya!

Hello friends!  Today I have a quick post sharing a Valentine card that I made for my oldest grandson. I'm joining the challenges at Double D, where the theme is hearts, along with the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge's Love is in the Air theme and the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge, where the theme is fun with dies.

Double D Hearts

My card has all sorts of hearts on it!

This was a quick and easy card to make.  Starting with a panel of Neenah Desert Storm, I stamped the Simon Says Stamp Lace Heart Kaleidoscope Background stamp using Versamark ink, then white heat embossed it and die cut it with the largest Hero Arts Nested Infinity rectangle die.  I then blended Ink on 3 Shark Tooth White around the edges of the panel to give it a softening effect and then used an R46 Copic marker to color in the little hearts.

Next came all the die cutting!  I used the SSS Nested Round Hearts dies, cutting from white and their gorgeous new Rich Red Matte Metallic cardstock.  I also die cut the largest heart from a vellum panel covered on the back with double sided adhesive so I could adhere it to the card front without any glue showing.  Next the two white hearts were adhered to the vellum heart, then the smaller red hearts adhered randomly.  Finally, the sentiment, also die cut from the red metallic paper and two layers of white, was added to the middle of the hearts and I was done!

Thanks for stopping by!  Take care!

Stef