Abstract Triangles

Hello again, my friends!!  I had some great fun yesterday making a couple of cards for the annual Dare to Get Dirty Challenges at Splitcoastampers (SCS home).  Twice a year SCS chooses a group of elite card makers to become members of the "Dirty Dozen", who have monthly challenges that they then share with SCS fan members (there is a modest annual fee to be a fan member, but you don't have to be a fan member to visit SCS).  In the annual challenges, the Dirty Dozen members create challenges that the fan members participate in (there were 35 different challenges this year) and there are prizes!  It's simply amazing to see all the beautiful and clever creations that are made.  I've added the link to SCS above, so if you haven't ever visited or haven't for a while, you should head over there and check out all the resources and daily challenges.

So having said all that, let's get to the cards, both of which use the wonderful Abstract Triangles background stamp from Simon Says Stamp.

For this first card I started by heat embossing the background stamp with white embossing powder after stamping on watercolor paper with Versamark ink.  Next I used Painter's Tape to adhere it to a board and did a watercolor wash with various Distress Inks.  While still taped to the board I dried the panel with my heat tool in order to minimize warping due to the amount of water used.  After drying, it was trimmed down to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8".  Next I die cut the large sentiment from Neenah Solar White card stock three times, layered them together and adhered to the panel using Ranger Multi Medium Matte.  Next I heat set the other part of the sentiment with white embossing powder on gray card stock, trimmed it down and popped it up on the panel with foam tape.  Nuvo drops and Pretty Pink Posh Clear Droplets were added after the panel was adhered to the Sea Glass card base.

The process for the background for my second card was much the same as the one above but I used this gorgeous Cloud 9 Glitter embossing powder from WOW that I received as part of the last monthly kit from Simon Says Stamp.  I think it looks gorgeous and really adds an extra something to the background.  I also went back to the panel with some additional ink on a few triangles before I dried it, giving it a bit of variation

The panel was added to a white card stock base, the sentiment again die cut 3 times, layered and adhered to the vellum circle.  I then used the retired Owl Builder punch from Stampin' Up to create the glimmer hearts, also adhered to the vellum.  After the hearts and sentiment were securely adhered, I added small pieces of foam tape to the back side, hidden under the die cut so it would not show through the vellum. 

That's it for both cards.  I hope to complete a couple more of the DTGD challenges, so watch for those posts in the next couple of days.  In the meantime, thanks for visiting and I hope you have a great week ahead!

Stef

Product details

Card #1

Stamps:  Abstract Triangles (SSS), Happy Birthday Gorgeous (SU)

Paper:  Canson XL watercolor, Neenah Solar White, Sea Glass (SSS), Basic Gray (SU)

Ink:  Versamark, Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean, Dusty Concord

Other:  Happy Birthday thinlit (SU), Hero Arts White Embossing Powder, Pretty Pink Posh Clear Droplets, Tonic Nuvo Simply White Crystal Drops and Blue Lagoon Glitter Drops

Card #2

Stamps:  Abstract Triangles

Paper:  Canson watercolor, Neenah Solar White, Vellum, Silver Glimmer (SU)

Ink:  Versamark, Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry, Seedless Preserves

Other:  Thanks die (SSS), Owl Builder punch (SU), Stitched Shapes framelit (SU), 1" Stroke & #10 round Princeton paint brushes, Wow Cloud 9 Glitter embossing powder

Whimsical Adventure

Hello again!  Recently I won the Stampin' Up Dare to Dream stamp set as blog candy (thank you Susan!) and thought I should use it because it's pretty cute.  It's one of the current Host sets in the annual Stampin' Up catalogue with several fun sentiments and cute, whimsical images.  I'm pairing it with the current sketch at Freshly Made Sketches.  This one threw me a bit until I settled on using this stamp set and some cute retired SU designer paper.

FMS 299

Starting with the dsp, it was trimmed down to fit the vertical pieces in the sketch and because it has retired colors in it, I was pleased to find I still had a bit of Taken with Teal card stock and a marker.  The dsp was layered on slightly larger pieces of teal card stock and adhered to the card base.  Next, cute little clouds and a balloon were stamped on a separate piece of white card stock and fussy cut.  The balloon is a two step stamp, so the outline was stamped in Chocolate Chip and the balloon interior in Pretty in Pink.

The word "adventure" was inked up with the Taken with Teal marker and fortunately I used my Misti, as it took 3 times to get a solid image.  I then fussy cut it as I really didn't have a die that fit the size.  The other part of the sentiment was stamped on the teal card stock and heat set with white embossing powder.  As I was laying out out the elements to decide where to adhere everything, I felt like twine was needed to really finish things off, so after the stamped images were all popped up on Dimensionals, I found that Island Indigo Baker's Twine matched almost perfectly with the teal and was wrapped around the base and tied with a bow.  The last touch was to lightly add Clear Wink of Stella to the pink balloon. 

That was a quick and fun card to make, and I appreciate that Kim gave us a different kind of sketch to work with.  Thanks for visiting, it's always appreciated!  Be sure to use the link above to visit the FMS challenge and check out all the wonderful inspiration!

Stef


Product details
Stamps:  Dare to Dream
Paper:  Thick Whisper White, Whisper White, Taken with Teal, Sweet Pea dsp (retired)
Ink:  Chocolate Chip, Taken with Teal (ret.), Pretty in Pink (ret.), Versamark
Other:  Clear Wink of Stella, white embossing powder, Island Indigo Baker's Twine, Paper Snips

Lucky Me

Hello again!  I hope you're having a good week!  I've had some fun in my craft room this week, and the card I'm sharing with you here is for the Stamp Ink Paper current challenge to use primary colors, the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge to "Splatter It" and The Challenge, to use one of the Keywords, of which I chose "friendship".

SIP 110

SSS Wed Challenge - Splatter

The Challenge #93

Making this card was definitely outside my wheelhouse as I am not a primary color type of girl, but it's always good to stretch and do things that are outside one's comfort zone.  Plus, I finally used a super cute stamp set that was part of the GENEROUS blog candy I won at SIP's 100th challenge post (thank you DT!!).  I've been waiting for the right time to use it and this was it!

I started with a panel of Bristol paper and blended Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink around the middle.  Next the word "lucky" was cut twice from yellow card stock and the larger version from navy card stock.  The other parts of the sentiment were heat set with white embossing powder on red card stock.

Before all the words and embellishments were added to the inked panel, it was die cut with the largest Wonky Rectangle die, then splattered with white gouache and water.  The wood hearts were colored with a red Zig marker, then topped with Ranger Glossy Accents to make them nice and shiny.  Both the hearts and panel were left over night to dry, after which the panel was added to a red card base, and the die cut and embossed sentiment and hearts were adhered to the front, and the card was complete!

Thanks so much for visiting, as always, it's so appreciated!  I've added links to the challenges above so be sure to use them to check out all the amazing inspiration!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Lucky Stamp Set (Concord & 9th)

Paper:  Strathmore Bristol, School House Red and Soft Navy (both Simon Says Stamp)

Ink:  Versamark, Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink

Other:  Lucky companion dies, Wonky Rectangle die (SSS), Hero Arts White Embossing Powder, Hearts and Stars Elements (Stampin' Up), Red Zig Clean Color Real Brush Marker, Winsor & Newton White Gouache, Ranger Glassy Accents

So Sweet Birthday

Hi there, I hope your week is going well!  Today I'm going to share with you a card I made for the fun Tic-Tac-Toe challenge at The Paper Players, and using the sketch from the current challenge at Sunday Stamps.  I'm also entering this into the "Anything Goes" challenge for the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge.

PP355

SSC158

SSS Wed Challenge - Anything Goes

I thought the July My Monthly Hero stamp set would work perfectly for this sketch, with it's lovely small images of flower bouquets and various containers to hold them.  I decided to use the pretty Sweet Pea bouquet image along with the watering can.  I stamped the flowers and a sentiment from the set on a square of Tim Holtz watercolor paper.  The watering can was stamped on a separate piece and die cut with the companion die after I finished water coloring it with Hickory Smoke Distress Ink.

The flowers were water colored with a combination of Wilted Violet and Shaded Lilac.  I love the blue color that results when those two colors blend.  Because the image is so small, my water coloring was pretty basic, covering the flowers first with lilac, then dropping in the violet color at the base and spreading it into the lilac but not worrying about blending it perfectly.  Once the flowers dried I added Shabby Shutters ink to the stems and leaves.

To give the watering can something to rest on, I added a but of Pumice Stone ink in the lower background.  Tumbled Glass ink was lightly spread around the flowers, and then the watering can was added to the panel using Dimensionals.   I searched through my stash and found this beautiful Basic Gray designer paper that worked perfectly with the image - a little old fashioned and a bit of distress around the edges.  After adding the dsp and focal image to the white card stock base, it was embellished with the banners, Galaxy (purple) and Morning Dew Nuvo drops and the cute wood flower.  Then I realized that my card was supposed to be a birthday card in order to complete the top row of the Tic-Tac-Toe challenge, and the sentiment on the front wasn't a birthday sentiment (oops).  I found a sentiment from the Dragonfly Dreams stamp set by Stampin' Up with a font that seemed complementary to the one on the front of the card and added that to the inside along with a couple of other flower images from the HA stamp set.  So I hope that qualifies me for the challenge :)

Well, that's the story about this card creation!  Thanks so much for visiting, it's always so appreciated!  I've added links to the challenges above, so be sure to head over there and enjoy all the amazing inspiration!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Hero Arts July My Monthly Hero stamp set, Dragonfly Dreams (SU)

Paper:  #110 Neenah Solar White, Tim Holtz water color, Wisteria Wonder (SU), Vellum, Wisteria 6x6 dsp paper pad (Basic Gray)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black; Distress Ink:  Hickory Smoke, Shabby Shutters, Shaded Lilac, Wilted Violet, Pumice Stone, Tumbled Glass

Other:  Eyelet Border punch (SU), Polka Dot embossing folder (SU), My Monthly Hero Arts companion die, Touches of Nature Elements (SU), Galaxy and Morning Dew Nuvo Crystal Drops, #4 Silver Black Velvet and #00 Grumbacher watercolor paint brushes

Blooming Bouquet

Hello again and welcome back!  Tonight I'm sharing a card made for the current challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  Linda has given us a really fun sketch to work with!

FMS 298

Lots of possibilities with that layout but I decided to stamp a floral image on opposing corners of a 4.25 x 5.5 inch panel of watercolor paper, cut it diagonally down the middle and then layer it on a white cardstock base.  The beautiful new Blooming Bouquet stamp set from Altenew landed in my mailbox late last week, so that became my image of choice.  The main stamp is quite large so I stamped a portion of it on one corner, flipped it around and stamped another portion of it on the opposing corner, then set about water coloring with Distress Inks.

The stamp contains lots of images and some quite small, so I only used basic water coloring technique, not worrying too much about light direction, etc.  While taking a bit of time to complete, I really enjoyed water coloring this beautiful image.  After the florals were completely dried, I used very diluted Peacock Feathers and a larger round paint brush to cover the background.

After the panel was dry, it was trimmed down to 4 x 5.25", then cut diagonally.  Foam tape was used to mount the panels on the card base, then a scattering of sequins was adhered around the card and white Nuvo drops added to the center of the small coral flowers.  The sentiment from Heartfelt Sentiments, also new from Altenew, was stamped, trimmed and also popped up with foam tape.  The final touch to finish the card was to add a bit of Clear Wink of Stella to the flower petals.  You can see it better in the close up photo below.

Thanks so much for visiting, I always appreciate it so much!  Be sure to use the link above to the FMS challenge and enjoy all the amazing inspiration!

Stef


Product details
Stamps:  Blooming Bouquet, Heartfelt Sentiments (both Altenew)
Paper:  Tim Holtz Watercolor, #110 Neenah Solar White
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black; Distress Inks:  Milled Lavender, Wilted Violet, Abandoned Coral, Worn Lipstick, Picked Raspberry, Mustard Seed, Peacock Feathers, Twisted Citron, Mowed Lawn, Pine Needles, Peeled Paint
Other:  Pretty Pink Posh Wisteria Blossom Mix and Sparkling Clear Sequins, Simply White Nuvo Crystal Drops, Round #4 and #8 Silver Black Velvet paint brushes, Clear Wink of Stella

Sunny Greetings

Hi there friends!  I'm back to share a fun card, one of two I finished in a busy crafting afternoon yesterday.  This one uses the sketch from the current challenge at Stamp Ink Paper and the colors from the current color challenge at Splitcoaststampers.  I'm also entering it into the Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the theme this week is "Anything Goes".

The color challenge colors are Pacific Point, Wild Wasabi and Daffodil Delight.  While Stampin' Up colors are used, participants can use similar colors of any brand, so I chose to use Distress Inks Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawn and Squeezed Lemonade.

SIP 109

SCS CC645

SSS Wednesday Challenge - Anything Goes

When I saw the color challenge colors, I immediately thought of a sunflower against the sky, but in trying to tie it into the sketch, the only sunflower stamp I own seemed too big.  Then I came up with the idea to make a mask and sponge clouds in the square space and add the sunflower image in front of it with foam tape.  Once the clouds were ink blended and the mask removed, I stamped the stem and leaf image below the clouds and the sunflower itself onto a piece of watercolor paper. 

The white panel is Strathmore Bristol, which can be both ink blended and water colored with ease.  After the stem was water colored, it just seemed to be hanging out into space below the clouds, so I decided to add the "ground" and very faint light blue in the background, and after that dried, and some Baker's Twine was added to the top, the panel was adhered to the Pacific Point card base.  Next the sunflower was water colored and fussy cut then added to the panel.  After sequins were added, I spread Glossy Accents around the flower center for a nice shine.

Thanks so much for visiting, it's always so appreciated!  I've added links to the challenges above, so be sure to head over there and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration.

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Summer Flowers (Simon Says Stamp)

Paper:  Pacific Point (Stampin' Up), Strathmore Bristol, Canson XL watercolor

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black; Distress Inks:  Salty Ocean, Mowed Lawn, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Ground Espresso 

Other:  Black Baker's Twine, Cloud Stencil (My Favorite Things), SSS Masking Paper, #4 and #8 Silver Black Velvet paint brushes, Tim Holtz Ink Blending Tool, Chameleon (SSS) and Sparking Clear (Pretty Pink Posh) sequins, Ranger Glossy Accents

Grid Birthday

Hello friends!  Tonight I'm sharing a card made for the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge. 

FMS 297

I decided to use blues and a gray for the colors, ink blending with Clarity brushes over a grid stencil on a 4.25 inch square white card stock panel.  After the blending was complete, I trimmed it down to a 4 inch square and adhered it to a slightly larger piece of gray card stock.

Next three layers of the word "happy" were die cut from white card stock and layered to create a nice thickness.  The word "birthday" was stamped and trimmed down, then both were layered on a circle of vellum that had been die cut with the Stitched Shape circle die.  The ink blended panel was added to the white card stock base with foam tape, then I added adhesive to the back of the vellum panel, hidden behind the sentiment so it would not show through, and adhered it to the panel.  Once that was done, the card was essentially complete, but it seemed just a little something more was needed.  I decided to pull out some retired Stampin' Up Candy Dots that I still have with my stash and added them to the card front.

So that is it!  Very simple, very clean, letting the ink blended panel be the main focus.  Thanks so much for visiting.  I've added a link above to the FMS challenge so be sure to head over there and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Big on Birthdays

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Smoke (Simon Says Stamp), Vellum

Ink:  Distress Inks:  Blueprint Sketch, Hickory Smoke, Faded Jeans, Salty Ocean

Other:  Stitched Shapes Circle die (SU), Scripty Happy die (Lawn Fawn), Star Grid stencil (My Favorite Things), Clarity Ink Dusting brushes, Neutrals Candy Dots

Stencil Roses and Inlay Die

Hello friends, I hope you are looking forward to a nice weekend!  I'm sharing a couple of cards that I made using Distress Oxide Inks and the Tim Holtz Roses Layered Stencil on dark cardstock.  I'm joining the current Fabulous Florals challenge at Stamp Ink Paper and the monthly Work It Wednesday Challenge at Simon Says Stamp to add glitter and sparkle to your card.  Just a warning that this is a longer than normal post as I was playing with a couple of techniques, but I hope you find it useful and informative.

SIP 108

SSS July 2017 Work it Wednesday

I'm sure by now most of you are familiar with the new Distress Oxide inks that Tim Holtz has developed.  Not a "hybrid" as we've known in the past, but it is a new type of blend of dye and pigment ink that give it unique properties.  Blending backgrounds with it is amazing and makes anyone look like a pro, plus you can see it on dark card stock, whereas you cannot with regular dye ink.  I started playing around in my craft room earlier this week, using the Tim Holtz Roses Layered stencil on regular watercolor paper and layering Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade and Abandoned Coral for a deep orange color.  But I was rather uninspired by the result below.

I liked the color of the roses but wasn't excited with the overall look of the panel.  Then I remembered a post about Distress Oxide Inks by Jennifer McGuire using dark card stock (Jennifer McGuire Ink 3.15.17), so I decided to give that a spin.  Using a panel of black card stock I used the same ink colors (honestly!) and the result was much more subdued than I expected.  I still liked it, especially the velvety appearance, so I used the panel to make the card below. I also moved the stencil around while ink blending the panel to fill in the open spaces left by the stencil design, so it is much denser with images than the panel above or the next card.  With such a busy background, only the die cut sentiment and Nuvo drops were added as finishing touches.

While I liked how the card above turned out, I wanted something with a bit more pop so I decided to try brighter DO inks (Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet and Twisted Citron) and also try using gray card stock rather than black.  I should also point out that I found using sponge daubers rather than the Tim Holtz Blending Tool worked much better to keep the colors from overlapping while using the stencil, which was just a personal preference.

This was more like what I was hoping to see, with much more vibrant colors. Both this panel and the prior one were spritzed with water as that also makes the inked colors glow a bit more.  Playing around with these inks and stencil were not enough techniques for one day (ha ha), so I decided to create an inlay die sentiment for this 2nd card.  I started out by taking the Wilted Violet Distress Oxide Ink pad and wiping it directly on a scrap of white card stock.  Once that was dry, the sentiment was die cut with the Handlettered Greetings die from Simon Says Stamp.

The stenciled panel was cut to 3 1/8 by 5 1/2 inches and adhered to the bottom front of a white card stock base.  I then took a 1 1/8 x 5 1/2 inch piece of white card stock, die cut the sentiment and removed it, (which I ended up using on the prior card), added Stick It adhesive to the back of the white card stock piece, layered in the inked Wilted Violet die cut sentiment, then adhered the finished strip to the top part of the card front.  One of the things you need to remember to do with the inlay die cut technique is to keep all the white pieces for the interior of the loopy parts of the letters such as the o's, g, y and h, etc. because you'll need to add them back into the layered piece.  Plus you want to be sure to keep those small dots above the i's from the inked version to add to the inlay.  I must say they were super tiny and I felt grateful I was able to keep track of them AND glue them to the card LOL!!  The last detail to finish the card was to add some sparkle with sequins.

Well, if you're still with me, I applaud you as I know this was a lot of information, but I wanted to share my discoveries with these inks.  And I hope it all makes sense! 

Thanks for visiting, it's so appreciated!  I've added links to the challenges above, so be sure to stop by there and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  None

Paper: #110 and #80 Neenah Solar White, Basic Black (Stampin' Up), Smoke (Simon Says Stamp)

Ink:  All Distress Inks:  Card #1 - Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Abandoned Coral, Peeled Paint, Twisted Citron; Card #2 - Picked Raspberry, Wilted Violet, Twisted Citron

Other:  Handlettered Greetings die (SSS), Roses Layered Stencil (Tim Holtz), Sponge Daubers, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear and Wisteria Mix Sequins, Rosewater Nuvo Jewel drops, Simply White Nuvo Crystal drops, Stitched Rectangle die (SSS) 

Little Things

Hi there!  I hope you had a good day!  Tonight I'm sharing a card made for the current challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch.  Late last week I received my new monthly stamp kit from Hero Arts.  Wow, it is packed with all sorts of wonderful flower images, with all sorts of vessels to put them in, a couple of which I used for this card.

CTS 230

I started by stamping the jar, bottle and flowers with Versafine Onyx Ink on watercolor paper, then used various Distress Inks to color.  The images are somewhat petite so I used maybe one or two colors on each one, mostly just simple coloring, and just adding a bit of lighter blue for the background.  I love these sweet floral images and think using them with colored pencils would be great as well.  On a separate piece of watercolor paper, the butterfly was stamped, water colored and die cut with the accompanying die. 

Next I cut light blue card stock into three panels according to the sketch.  One was scored 1/8th inch around all the sides, and the second was stamped with Versamark ink using flowers from the stamp kit add on set, Little Florals, along with the butterfly from the monthly kit stamp set (easier to see in the photo below).  The third panel was stamped with sentiment, also from the add on set, then the water colored panel was added using foam tape.  After typing the Baker's Twine around the thinner vertical panel, all three were adhered onto the card base.

Morning Dew Nuvo Drops were added to the flowers and around the card and then the butterfly was painted with Clear Wink of Stella.

Thanks so much for visiting, as always it's so appreciated!  I've added a link above to the CTS challenge, so be sure to use it and check out all the amazing inspiration!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  July My Monthly Hero stamp set, Little Florals

Paper:  Thick Whisper White (Stampin' Up), Sea Glass (Simon Says Stamp), Canson XL watercolor

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark, Distress Ink:  Squeezed Lemonade, Candied Apple, Dusty Concord, Crushed Olive, Peeled Paint, Broken China, Tumbled Glass

Other:  White Baker's Twine, Stampin' Up Scoring Board, Silver Black Velvet #4 paint brush, Nuvo Morning Dew Crystal Drops, Clear Wink of Stella

Sketchy Rose

Hello again!  Tonight I'm sharing my second card that I will be adding to The Flower Challenge.  Since I love creating cards with flowers, I think this will be one of my new favorite challenges! 

The Flower Challenge #10

Back in May I won an amazing amount of blog candy from Stamp Ink Paper (SIP blog) for their 100th blog post, and the beautiful Sketchy Rose stamp set from Altenew was amongst the prizes.  To start, the lovely rose image along with 3 leaves were heat embossed with white embossing powder on watercolor paper, water colored with Distress Inks, then fussy cut with paper snips.  I decided to mount it on a large white card stock die cut circle with foam tape, then set it aside as I worked on the rest of the card.

For the background, I used the Neat and Tangled Polygon Cover Plate and created a die cut from white card stock, then adhered on top of a panel that was previously blended with Distress Inks and misted with a mix of water and Ranger Perfect Pearls.  The entire things was wrapped with Linen Thread, then a cute corrugated tag with the sentiment was tied on with a bow.  After mounting the completed panel on a white card base, the circle with the rose and various sequins were adhered.  I also added a few drops of Nuvo Morning Dew drops to the flower.

Thanks so much for visiting, it's always so appreciated!  Please be sure to use the link above to the Flower Challenge and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Sketchy Rose (Altenew), Small Phrases (Verve)

Paper:  #80 and #110 Neenah Solar White, Tim Holtz Distress Water Color, Strathmore Bristol

Ink:  Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black, Distress - Squeezed Lemonade, Tumbled Glass, Fired Brick, Abandoned Coral, Shabby Shutters, Peeled Paint

Other:  Hero Arts White Embossing Powder, Polygon Cover Plate (N&T), Corrugated Elements (Stampin' Up), Linen Thread (SU), Nuvo Morning Dew Crystal Drops, Vintage Chic (Simon Says Stamp) and Sparkling Clear (Pretty Pink Posh) sequins, Ranger Perfect Pearls

Pink Love

Hi there and welcome back!  Today I had fun playing around with different parts of the Happy Birthday Gorgeous stamp set.  I've noted before that I love all the sentiments and fonts, and it doesn't necessarily have to be used for birthdays, as my card illustrates today.  For inspiration in creating my card, I turned to the Color Throwdown for colors and Freshly Made Sketches for the layout.  And the bonus was that both challenges fit in perfectly with a row of Tic Tac Toe (twine, pink and square) that is the current challenge at Stamp Ink Paper!

CTD 451

FMS 296

SIP 107

I was thrilled to see the colors Amy Rysavy chose for this week's Color Throwdown - light pink, dark pink, green and white.  Perfect for flowers!  I immediately thought of all the little flowers in the stamp set and went about stamping and coloring multiples in order to build a little bouquet on the small square of the sketch.  I used a Blender Pen and inks to color the flowers and leaves after they were stamped in Basic Black ink, then fussy cut all the pieces.  While there were a number of little parts, it only took a few minutes to cut them all out.

The 4.5" x 9" base was cut from textured Pink Pirouette card stock then scored in the middle to create the square.  A small piece of Melon Mambo washi tape was added to the base, then the scallop die cut white card stock square was popped up in the middle with Dimensionals after stamping the sentiment.  After the fussy cutting was complete, I worked with all the pieces until I came up with a layout that I liked, then took a picture of it with my phone so I could have it for reference as I built the bouquet.

I used glue dots to adhere the bottom pieces, then popped up a few to get that bit of dimension.  Before adhering, Clear Wink of Stella was brushed on all the pieces.  It looks great in real life but I'm not sure it's apparent in the photos.  Once the bouquet was complete and the twine added, I felt like something more was needed.  Then I thought of the cute Hearts and Stars wood embellishments, so I added them as well, also brushed with Wink of Stella.  And that finished my card!

Thanks so much for visiting!  It's always so appreciated.  I've added links above to all three of the challenges, so be sure to head over there and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Happy Birthday Gorgeous

Paper:  Whisper White, Textured Pink Pirouette (retired, Stampin' Up)

Ink:  Basic Black, Pretty In Pink (retired SU), Melon Mambo, Garden Green

Other:  Layering Square Framelits, Melon Mambo Washi Tape (retired SU), Hearts & Stars Elements, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Paper Snips

Distress Oxide Congrats

Hello again!  I hope you're having a good summer thus far!  My husband and I have not yet taken a trip but have enjoyed some amazingly beautiful weather at home in the Pacific Northwest (low 80's) that is slated to continue at least through the weekend.  Heavenly!  But I think you've visited to see a card rather than hear a weather report, so I will get on with it!  I made a fairly Clean and Simple (and skinny) card for the current Tall and Skinny sketch challenge over at Sunday Stamps.

SSC 156

A few days ago I had a chance to play around with Distress Oxide inks, since I just received the latest release of 12 more colors.  So, so fun and I decided to use a portion of one of the ink blended panels I made as the background for the die cut panel of this card.

The new release includes two of my favorite Distress Ink colors, Twisted Citron and Peacock Feathers, which I used at the top and bottom, respectively, of the ink blended panel, with Cracked Pistachio in between.  So what you end up seeing here behind the leaf die cut is mostly Twisted Citron and Cracked Pistachio, with splatters of Peacock Feathers.

The base was cut from #110 Neenah Solar White card stock. A little hard to see in this picture (better in the one below), but I used a scoring board to score a line about an inch above the bottom of the card base.  After that, the sentiment was stamped using a Misti so I could be sure to line it up straight and get it centered.  That sentiment is from the new Happy Birthday Gorgeous stamp set from Stampin' Up, which has the most wonderful fonts and a large variety of sentiments that can be used for a variety of occasions.  Really a great set.

Next, the smaller white card stock panel was die cut with the circle leaf die and adhered to the even slightly smaller ink blended panel, then adhered to the base with foam tape.  Green Apple and Morning Dew Nuvo Crystal Drops were added, along with some Pool Party Thick Twine around the top to finish things off. 

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

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Happy Birthday Gorgeous

Paper:  #80 and #110 Neenah Solar White, Strathmore Bristol (ink blended panel)

Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers

Other:  Pool Party Thick Twine, Circle of Leaves die (Simon Says Stamp), Morning Dew and Green Apple Crystal Nuvo drops, Stampin' Up Simply Scored Scoring board, Misti