With Sympathy for PP787

Hello friends!  We have a new sketch challenge over at the Paper Players and this week LeAnne is hosting.  She's created a fun one to work with.

Paper Players

I decided to use a die set from Honey Bee Stamps that I bought two, maybe three years ago, and never used it, so I'll be sending it over to Darnell's NBUS challenge as well.

NBUS

Here's what I came up with.

When I was young, my parents planted a beautiful Dogwood tree in our front yard.  It was my mother's favorite, which was enjoyable to think about as I was making this card.  

The branch and leaves were die cut from colored cardstock and the flowers from white.  I added ink blending to all the die cuts, including the extra flower, leaves and the circle. Since the sentiment was gold foiled, the flower centers were die cut from gold as well to bring more gold into the design. 

For the background I used a rectangle die with the same design as the circle to cut a panel of white and attach it to the card base.  The lattice was also cut from white and turned out to be the perfect size for the rectangle in LeAnne's sketch.  There were a few foiled sentiments from the same set already made and the sympathy one seemed to fit best.  Fortunately, I have no immediate need for a sympathy card, but it is always good to have extra on hand.  

Thanks for stopping by and I encourage you to visit the challenge blog, where the other DT members have some wonderful cards to inspire you!  The challenge will remain open until 3pm EDT on Friday May 29th.  I hope you'll join us this week!

Stef

• Honey Bee Stamps Lovely Layers: Dogwood dies
• Spellbinders Woven Lattice Texture die
• Pinkfresh Studio Folk Edge Circle and Rectangle dies
• Spellbinders You Are Everything BetterPress plate and die

Earthenware Vases for the Paper Players

 Hello friends!  Today's card is for the new challenge at the Paper Players.  The lovely and amazing Ann is hosting our color challenge, choosing a gorgeous combination of colors.

Paper Players

This lovely combination had me thinking spring flowers but I pivoted to using a new die set that I received recently. 

The only Stampin' Up! cardstock I had was a piece of Mossy Meadow, the rest are from my cardstock "collection", trying to get as close as I could to the other colors, along with adding some gray and brown neutrals.

The vases and branches are from the Altenew Earthenware Vases dies set.  The blue vase was embossed using the Altenew Textured Blocks 3D folder that came with the die set.  The background is fog cardstock embossed with the Honey Bee Stamps Rustic Brick Wall 3D folder.  It was a bit too textured for layering all the other die cuts on top, so I ran it through my die cutting machine between the plates, which flattened it just enough.  

The "table" was created with the Tim Holtz Lumber 3D embossing folder and the Altenew Elegant Sayings stamp and die set provided the sentiment.  I did use a couple of Copic markers to color two branches and one set of flowers.  I left the other set of flowers uncolored, so it's more of a lighter version of coral.  The card came together quite quickly, once I settled on which cardstock I was going to use.

I look forward to seeing how you use this beautiful color combination, but before you head off, please pop over to the challenge blog here to see all the amazing cards created by my talented teammates.  The challenge will end on lucky Friday February 13th at 3pm EST.  I hope you'll join us this week!

Thanks for stopping by!

Stef

• Altenew Elegant Sayings Stamp and die set
• Altenew Earthenware Vases die set
• Altenew Textured Blocks ef
• Honey Bee Stamps Rustic Brick Wall ef
• Tim Holtz Lumber ef
• Simon Says Fog, Stampin' Up! Mossy Meadow, Tim Holtz Kraftstock Neutral, Concord & 9th Lakefront, Spellbinders Coral and Chiffon
• Copics E18 and R22

Wild & Free for The Flower Challenge

Hello friends!  May is upon us, and this month at The Flower Challenge, we're asking everyone to color your flower(s) using any medium of your choice - inks, watercolors, pencils, alcohol markers, you get the picture.

TFC 91

I hadn't had enough play time with the Simon Says Stamp April card kit, so I decided to use the stamp set and a piece of the pattern papers included in the kit.

I chose this piece of pp because of the beautiful colors in a somewhat watercolor-looking design.  I matched up my markers to coordinate and colored the pretty floral image.  I love how dainty both the flowers are in this set.  The sentiment is also from the same stamp set.  Both the flower and sentiment were die cut with their matching dies.

The panel was trimmed down to 4" x 5.25" and added to the white card base, which ended up being a mistake, because then, when I went to trim off some of the leaf and stem to fit, it got a bit tricky.  But I got it done!  Both the flower and the sentiment were layered on one extra die cut before adding to the card for just a slight bit of dimension.  Finally, I added some purple gems. 

What medium is your favorite for coloring flowers?  We'd love to see your card in the gallery, you'll have until the 25th of the month to play along.  In the meantime, please head over to the challenge blog and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration my wonderful teammates have for you!

Take care!

Stef

• SSS Wild & Free Stamps and dies
• American Crafts Dreamer 6x8 paper pad
• SSS Cool Tones Dazzling Gems
• Copics - V05, 01, 00, G02, 00, 000, BG78, 75, 72

Tri-Fold Smpathy card for The Flower Challenge

Hello and welcome!  It's time for our reminder post at The Flower Challenge for this month's theme of Occasions.  If you haven't already, I hope you'll join us - the challenge is open until the 25th of the month.

The Flower Challenge

For my card earlier this month (link is here if you care to take a peek), I made a birthday card.  This time I made a sympathy card, which I hate using, of course, but always want to have on hand.  I ended up making a tri-fold card, using some new-to-me dies from Poppy Stamps.

I started out by using my Copic markers to color a digi image from Power Poppy. After the coloring was complete, a light blue ink was blended around the background and in as close as I could get to the image without changing the color of the pussy willows or the snowdrops.  Do you usually have a design in mind when you set down to make a card?  If I'm not using a sketch, I typically wing it after I color my image.  That's probably poor planning on my part, and sometimes I do get stuck, but generally I can work something out.  That's what happened this time and then I thought I'd try out the Poppy Stamps dies.

The larger die cut the oval card front plus a half inch tab down the left side.  The tab is intended to be folded and adhered to an A2 panel to create a card.  But since I wanted a tri-fold, I made another white A2 card base, then adhered them all together (photos below give you a better idea).  The die set also comes with an smaller oval to cut out your main image, which I used on the colored panel. A separate coordinating die was used to cut out the patterned paper for each side of the oval and I added some die cut leaves for a little additional detail.  The colored image was added with foam tape, then the sentiment adhered with thin foam squares. 

The photo above shows the card opening and how the colored oval is adhered to the inside.  Below shows the card opened up for a place to write one's message.

Once the die cutting was complete, this card came together fairly quickly.

So glad you stopped by to visit!  Be sure to use the link above to see all the incredibly beautiful cards by the rest of the DT and hopefully join us for this challenge!

Take care!

Stef

Stamps:  Winter Pick-Me-Up digi (Power Poppy), Elegant Sentiments (Waffle Flower)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Watercolor Wash 6x6 Paper Pack (MFT)

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

Other:  Oval Fold Framd and Tall Curve Background dies (Poppy Stamps), Etched Meadow Flower and Leaves die (SSS), Elegant Sentiment matching die (WF)

Copics:  RV69, 66, 55, 52, G29, 21, 40, YG45, W3, 1, 0, C1, 00, Y26, 17, 13, 00, E59, 57

Hugs and a Birthday

Hello and welcome! In this blogpost I'm sharing two different cards for two separate challenges - the CAS birthday theme at The Paper Players and color week at Just Us Girls.

I'll start with the card for The Paper Players.

PP563

I made a fun card for a young great niece and used some nice, bright colors.

I started by coloring the giraffe who is obviously having a great time at the birthday party!  I used a rainbow assortment of colors for the balloons in the background but made sure to include a bright pink one to match the card base.  Next the colored panel was trimmed down and adhered to a polaroid die cut where the sentiment was stamped.  The card base was stamped all over using Versamark ink with a balloon bundle stamp.  Lastly the main image was mounted on the card base with foam tape.  Quick and easy!

Next up is the card for Just Us Girls.

JUGS 606

This card is also very CAS although it took longer to make because I used colored pencils for the flowers rather than my usual Copics.

After the flowers were stamped, I used the stencil that accompanied the stamp set to ink on a base color for the leaves and flowers.  Then I used a yellow and two reddish browns to add some depth and contrast to the flowers and a couple of greens for the leaves.  I know I need to spend more time using my colored pencils so I can get better at adding contrast, but admittedly I am not the most patient person in the world lol!  Still I thought the soft look was fine for this type of card (comfort or sympathy).

Next I took a 3D embossed white panel and gently ink blended two shades of turquoise, trying to keep the ink just on the top images for a very subtle effect.  It was trimmed down and adhered to the white cardstock, then the die cut flowers and leaves were glued directly to the embossed panel before adding the layered sentiment.  The last touch was to add three sequins.

If you've made it this far, I appreciate it!  Thanks for taking time to visit and take care!

Stef

Card #1

Stamps:  Picture Perfect Party Animals, Balloon Bundle (both MFT)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Magenta Madness (SU)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark, Versafine Clair Black

Other:  Polaroid Shaker Frame die (MFT), Copic markers

Card#2

Stamps:  Craft Your Life Project-Rose Garden (Altenew), Perfect Sentiments (Pinkfresh Studio)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White

Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Warm Sunshine, Frayed Leaf, Sea Breeze and Turquoise (Altenew)

Other:  Garden Rose dies, Garden Rose 3D embossing folder, Perfect Sentiments die, Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils

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)

With Sympathy

Hello friends, I hope you're doing well!  Today I'm sharing a card made for the current color challenge at The Paper Players.  The lovely Joanne has given us three lovely, soft colors to play with.

PP532

For my card, I decided to depart from my normal Copic Coloring and instead did some stamp layering and ink blending. My card is a case of one made by Therese Calvird here after seeing her video tutorial on how to create the water in the vase.  I changed the colors, card layout, used different floral stamps and sentiment.

I started with the two floral images and the leaves.  The flowers have three stamped layers - the outline then a light layer and a dark layer.  I found the two Altenew inks matched remarkably well to Highland Heather. I then used gray Copic markers to color the flower centers. The leaves were stamped in Olive and Moss, then all the images were die cut.

The vase was stamped off the bottom of the white cardstock panel so I could keep this an A2 sized card.  I then used the matching stencils and two shades of muted blue to create the water.  After the water was complete, I hand drew two stems and colored them with Copic markers, then added the rings in the water with a Copic Fineliner pen.  The background is a soft blend of the lightest purple and a little bit of the blue. 

The panel was trimmed down and adhered more on the right side of the Highland Heather card base, to give it an offset feel.  The flower and leaves in the back were adhered to the panel, then the flower and leaves in front added with foam tape.  Lastly the heat embossed sentiment was added to the side of the panel.  I felt these colors and the image worked beautifully for a sympathy card, and that is one category in my card stash that always seems to be in low supply because I don't make very many.

Thanks for visiting, I appreciate it so much!  Take care and I hope you have a great weekend!

Stef

Stamps:  Airbrushed Flowers, Versatile Vases 2 (Altenew)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Black, Highland Heather

Ink:  Gina K Obsidian Amalgam; Versamark; Wisteria, Hydrangea, Moss, Olive, Caribbean Sky and Cloudy Sky (Altenew)

Other:  Airbrushed Flowers matching dies, Versatile Vases Masking Stencils, White Fine Detail embossing power (Simon Says Stamp).

Copics:  W5, 3, 1, YG95, 93

A Pair for the SCS Color Challenge

Hello friends and welcome back!  It's time for a new Color Challenge at Splitcoaststampers!  Chris is hosting and has chosen the lovely combo of Shaded Spruce, Granny Apple Green and Coastal Cabana with a dessert option to use a circle.  I hope you'll be able to join the Color Challenge this week!

I loved this color combination so much I ended up making two cards!  My second card is also for the SCS CAS challenge to use splatters and joining the current challenge at Fab Friday (see below).

Just a warning, this post is content and photo heavy!

For my first card, I used a fun design idea that Jennifer McGuire used recently on this post.  (Actually she's used this technique several times on her blog).  I took scrap pieces of card stock in the challenge colors, plus white, and cut what seemed like a jillion strips of paper in varying sizes.  Next, I added adhesive to an entire panel of inexpensive white card stock (or you could use copy paper) and started layering on the strips, varying sizes and colors in a random order.

When the entire panel was covered, I trimmed off the overhanging bits of paper strips, then used my paper trimmer to cut it down to 3.75" x 5".  I used that same sheet adhesive on a panel of vellum and then die cut it with a circle die.  When adding to my card, I left a bit overhanging the side and trimmed that off as well.

The white eucalyptus leaves were die cut, adhered to the vellum circle, the sentiment added, then the panel was mounted on the card base with foam tape.  I really think this design would work well for a recipient of either gender.

On to card number two!  For this card I used the current sketch challenge at Fab Friday for my design inspiration.

FF 189

For the second card, I decided to do some stenciling with Distress Oxide inks on a panel of Shaded Spruce card stock.  DOX ink colors similar to Coastal Cabana and Granny Apple Green were used.  Stamping or stenciling with DOX inks on dark card leaves a lovely subtle effect.  I used leaf stencils down one side of the panel then splattered with some white gouache and a little bit of shimmer spray.

While the panel dried I stamped the sentiment, die cutting it and the Coastal Cabana layer from oval dies.  The leaf dies were also die cut in white card, then adhered to the dried panel.  The sentiment was then layered on top with foam tape.

Next a scallop rectangle die was adhered to the card base, then the main panel was added with foam tape.  And that finished off card #2!  Actually neither card took long to make and were both put together in one afternoon.

Thanks so much for visiting, I really appreciate it!  I hope you and yours continue to stay safe and healthy!  Have a great week!

Stef


Card #1
Stamps:  Tiny Words (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Granny Apple Green, Coastal Cabana, Shaded Spruce, Vellum, Black
Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne
Other:  Nested Infinity Circle die (Hero Arts), Happy die and Eucalyptus dies (both SSS)

Card#2
Stamps:  Painted Greetings (Altenew)
Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Shaded Spruce, Coastal Cabana
Ink:  Versafine Clair Nocturne; Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron and Mowed Lawn DOX 
Other:  A2 Scallop Rectangle die (Honey Bee), Fab Foliage dies (MFT), Layering Oval dies (ret. SU), Leaves Stencil (SSS), Tsukineko Sparkle Shimmer Spray, White Gouache