Hello There!

Hello and welcome!  Today I'm sharing a card that I made for the challenges at Freshly Made Sketches and the Color Throwdown. 

FMS504

CTD661

So many options with that sketch but since I ultimately decided to use a large slimline focal point, I had to flip the sketch from a landscape to portrait. 

I love the beautiful Etched Tall Leaf Spray and especially in kraft on black.  The spray was die cut from Neenah Desert Storm, then I used some Copic markers to add a bit of dimension to the leaves.  Once that was complete the rest of the card came together in a snap!

I cut cream cardstock to 8.5" x 7" then scored at 3.5".  Next a separate strip of cream cardstock was die cut with a slimline border die and adhered to a black panel die cut with a slimline rectangle die.  A strip of gray was adhered over the cream edge, then the spray was added to the black side of the panel.  I wrapped it with some linen thread, then attached the sentiment tag.  The entire thing was then mounted on the card base with thin foam tape.  The only thing I would do differently is to stamp the sentiment with a shade darker ink so it shows up better in the photos but IRL it doesn't look that light.

Thanks for taking time to visit!  Take care, stay safe and have a great weekend!

Stef

Stamps:  Circled Sentiments (Altenew)

Paper:  Cream, Black, Slate (Simon Says Stamp), Neenah Desert Storm

Ink:  Sand Dune (Altenew)

Other:  Slimline Nested Rectangles die, Slimline Borders and Edges die and Etched Tall Leaf Spray die (all SSS), Linen Thread (Stampin' Up), Tag die (Trinity Stamps

Copics:  E37, 35, 33, 31

Thankful for You

Hello and welcome! I have a card to share that I made for the challenges at The Paper Players and Just Us Girls.  

PP559

JUGS602

I love that these two challenges worked together so perfectly (thanks Claire and Nancy!)!  I had fun putting this card together, using one of my favorite Birdie Brown images.

To begin, I stamped the sweet girl, her little squirrel buddy and some leaves on white cardstock, colored with Copic markers, then used the coordinating dies to cut them out.  A white gel pen was used to add some stripes to her scarf.  

Next the sentiment was white heat embossed on cranberry paper, then die cut with a fishtail die that just happened to be the perfect size.  On a separate panel of Bristol paper, some yellow inks were blended to create the background, then cut out with a circle die and attached to the back of the stitched scallop circle die.  It was added to the white card base with thin foam tape, then the scene was created adhering everything to the circle except the squirrel, which I popped up on foam tape after adding the sentiment strip, also with foam tape for that nice bit of dimension.  I thought about adding some embellies but opted to keep things clean.

Thanks for taking time to visit, I really appreciate it and am truly thankful for you!  Take care and stay safe!

Stef

(PS - I do have any earlier post from today. If you're interested here's the link or just scroll down)

Stamps:  Birdie Brown Fall Friends (MFT)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Cranberry (Concord & 9th), Koh-i-noor Bristol

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versamark; Citrus Burst, Maple Yellow and Honey Drizzle (Altenew)

Other:  Fall Friends matching dies, Stitched Scallop Circle die (Pinkfresh Studio), Nested Infinity Circle die (Hero Arts), Fishtail Foundations (MFT), Sakura White Gelly Roll pen

Copics:  R39, 37, 35, 20, YR27, 24, 23, 18, 16, 09 Y38, 17, 15, 14, 04, E50, 37, 35, 33, 31, 11, 08, 00

Delicate Birthday

Hello and welcome! I have a card to share that was created for the challenges at Addicted to Stamps, The Flower Challenge and Seize the Birthday.  

ATSC #414

tfc #60

stb #223

For my card, I decided to try some no-line coloring.  I've tried it before and not been satisfied with the results but this time I was happy with how it turned out.

Some of my favorite colors are in the blue-green family, so this was a labor of love.  I stamped the image with Ink on 3 Fadeout ink, then used a Copic Multiliner to go over the stamen before coloring, so I wouldn't lose the images.  Next I colored the flower in shades of turquoise and the leaves in both cool and warm grays (although that doesn't appear too obvious in the photos) with Copic markers.  When that was done, I'd forgotten I didn't have matching dies for this stamp set (it's been a while since I've used it), so I opted to fussy cut.  

To create the card, I first used a cover plate die to create the swirl stitching on the white panel, trimmed it down then added Fog and black layers beneath, then was mounted to the white card base with foam tape.  A stitched scallop circle with a removable interior was die cut from white, then a black circle adhered onto the back to add contrast to the floral image.  The flower and the circle were both popped up on thin foam tape, then the sentiment strip added.  The final touch was to scatter a few silver baubles on the card.

Thanks so much for taking time to visit!  I will be back with a second post this afternoon, so check back in if you have time.

Take care and stay safe!

Stef

Stamps:  Delicate Flowers (Simon Says Stamp)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Black, Fog (SSS), Reverse Birthday Sentiment Strips (SSS)

Ink:  Ink on 3 Fadeout

Other:  Detail Swirls Plate Cover die (SSS), Stitched Scallop Circle die (Pinkfresh Studio), Nest Infinity Circle die, Crystal Collection-Night Sky baubles (Little Things by Lucy's Cards), Copic Multiliner

Copics:  BG07, 05, 02, 01, 000, 0000, W5, 3, 1, T4, 2, 0

Warm Hugs for Sunday Stamps

Hello and welcome!  It's time for a new Sunday Stamps challenge, and this week Lisa has given us that fabulous sketch to work with.

Sunday Stamps

I'm also joining the current challenge at Color Throwdown.  These colors (navy, blue, green, orange) are perfect for a fall scene.

Color Throwdown

For my card I decided to have a scene running the length of the card and incorporate the vertical rectangle as part of it, which I moved more to the left to work with my layout.

These sweater-wearing critters are part of a favorite fall stamp set of mine, just because they're so darn cute (thank you Birdie Brown)!  Plus they are fun to color with my Copic markers.  After completing the critter coloring, they were die cut with matching dies.  Next, I worked on the two panels, for which I also used my Copics to make a fall background.  It's not terribly realistic but I'm okay with that since it's the backdrop for critters in sweaters taking a stroll and drinking coffee 😆!  I temporarily adhered the vertical panel to the horizontal one to make the panel intersections as smooth as possible, then permanently adhered them together when it was complete.

After the background coloring was done, the critters, sentiment and clouds were adhered with a combination of craft glue and thin foam tape. The embossed panel was adhered to a white card base, then the scene panels added with thin foam tape.  Since there was so much already going on in the scene, I opted to forego any embellishments on the card.

Here's sending warm hugs to you for taking time to visit!  Be sure to use the link above to check out the wonderful cards by the other DT members and hopefully join us for our sketch challenge!

Take care and stay safe!

Stef

Stamps:  Sweater Weather in the Woods (MFT)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White and Desert Storm

Ink:  Gina K Chocolate Truffle Amalgam

Other:  Bark 3D embossing folder (Stampin' Up), Sweater Weather matching dies, Stitched Rectangle die (Simon Says Stamp), Petite Clouds dies (MFT), Copic Markers

Thankful For You for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge

Hello and welcome! It's time for a new Tic Tac Toe challenge and Jeanne has given us a great board to spark our creativity.

Tic Tac Toe Challenge

I'm also sharing this at the current Inkspirational Challenge, where the theme is autumn leaves.

Inkspirational #247

I'm also joining the current Double D Leaves challenge. 

Double D - Leaves

I chose to use the first column from the tttc board - ribbon, die cuts, foliage.

I started with a panel of Vicki Boutin mixed media paper and sprayed it Cracklin' Campfire, Rusty Hinge and Fossilized Amber Distress Spray Stains.  I love the vibrant colors however I found that I am a bit heavy handed with adding the sprays and definitely need some more practice, however I finally got a mix of colors that I liked. Next I splattered it with water, then gold metallic paint, and once dry, die cut it and a panel of gold pearl mirror paper with the Autumn Splendor Cover die. 

I dug through my 6x6 patterned paper stash and found a piece of burgandy paper with a subtle design, which I thought would look great behind the layered die cut panels, so I cut it down to A2 size and adhered to the ivory card base.  Next I adhered the die cut panels were slightly offset and glued together, then wrapped with a burgandy ribbon.  I don't have much ribbon anymore as I rarely use it (unlike when I was first making cards 14 years ago), but I was lucky to find a length in this color that I think came in an Ellen Hutson order as a little gift (such a great store!).  After tying the bow (SO out of practice!) the panel was adhered to the base.  The sentiment was die cut from the same gold pearl mirror paper, adhered to the ivory shadow and added to the card front along with the popped up secondary sentiment.

Thanks so much for visiting, I always appreciate it!  Please use the link above to check out all the fabulous cards by the other DT members and hopefully join in the fun this week!

Stef

Stamps:  Bitty Buzzwords:  Fall (Honey Bee)

Paper:  Ivory, Tonic Gold Pearl Mirror, Harvest Festival 6x6 paper pad (HB), Vicki Boutin Mixed Media

Ink:  Versafine Clair Acorn; Cracklin' Campfire, Rusty Hinge & Fossilized Amber Distress Spray Stain

Other:  Autumn Splendor A2 cover plate die (HB), Bitty Buzzwords: Fall Honey Cut word dies (HB), Altenew Metallic paint, ribbon from my stash

Enjoy, Sweet Friend!

Hello and welcome!  Today I'm sharing a card that I created for the current challenge at Freshly Made Sketches, where Jen has given us this terrific sketch.

FMS 502

I went with kind of fall-ish style card with a lot of white.

I started by ink blending a few Distress inks on Bristol paper then die cut the flower layers, center and leaves.  The colors were inspired by Laura Bassen, who used the same colors for her flower here. The bottom two flower layers were glued together only at the center, then the top petal layer was added with foam tape.  The outer portion of the flower center was die cut from gold pearl mirror cardstock, adhered to the brown center then glued to the flower.

Next a panel of white cardstock was die cut with the Autumn Splendor cover die and layered on the white card base.  The sentiment was die cut four times from brown paper and adhered to the vellum shadow.  I also cut a rectangle from vellum, adhered it to the card, then added the leaves and flower.  After adhering the sentiment to the flower and stamping "sweet friend" on the card interior, I decided it still needed a little something, so I found some matte gold sequins in my stash and added a few to finish things off.

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

Stef

Stamps:  Bitty Buzzwords (interior sentiment/Honey Bee Stamps)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Tonic Gold Pearl Mirror, Vellum

Ink:  Candied Apple, Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick and Squeezed Lemonade Distress

Other:  Autumn Splendor A2 Cover Plate die (HB), Lovely Layers: Sunflower (HB), Bitty Buzzwords dies (HB), gold sequins from my stash

Etched Meadow Flower

Hello and welcome!  Yes, a second post today, this time for the current Freshly Made Sketches challenge, where Kim has given us a fabulous sketch to play with! (you can find my earlier Sunday Stamps post here.)

FMS 501

I decided to go with some soft peach colors on my card.

I started by die cutting the Etched Meadow Flower and Leaves from watercolor paper, then used my Karin markers to color.  Since the markers have such vibrant colors, I just added brushed on a bit with the marker at the base of each flower and leaf, then pulled the color out with my damp paintbrush. After the initial coloring dried I went back into the flowers and some of the leaves to add more color for a bit more contrast.

To complete the card, I created a 5"x 7" ivory card base, then layered on two patterned paper designs, one as the strip across the middle.  Next I used the Tasteful Textile embossing folder (I am in love with this ef!) to created the subtle pattern on a panel of ivory, die cut it with a deckled rectangle die, then adhered the die cut flowers and sentiment strip.  After the decorated panel was mounted on the card with foam tape, the final step was to add some enamel dots.

That's it for today!  Thanks for visiting, I always appreciate it so much!  

Take care and stay safe!

Stef

Stamps:  Best Friend Ever (sentiment/Simon Says Stamp)

Paper:  Ivory (SSS), Arches 140# cold press watercolor, Simply Vintage Cottage Fields 6"x 8" paper pad (Simple Stories)

Ink:  Versafine Pinecone; Karin markers: 200 Soft Peach 1, 281 Olive Green

Other:  Etched Meadow Flower and Leaves dies (SSS), Mix and Match Frames die (Altenew), A7 Layers Rectangle die (Waffle Flower), Fishtail Foundations die (MFT), Warm and Cozy Enamel dots (Altenew)

Thankful and Gr8ful

Hello and welcome back!  It's time for a new color challenge at Sunday Stamps and this one is just perfect for late summer or early fall. 

Sunday Stamps

ETA:  I'm also joining the current challenge at The Paper Players, which is to use a number on your card, which I did on the license plate of the truck.

PP557

I decided to go with a Fall themed card using the SSC colors.

I've had this pickup stamp set for a while and used it on a few cards (if you click on Honey Bee in the Labels section in the right side bar to see other examples).  This time I used the new Loads of Fall stamp set to fill the back of the pickup with a load of pumpkins, gourds and a sunflower stalk.  The images were all colored with Copic markers then die cut with matching dies.  

To add some dimension and allow me to tuck the pumpkins behind the tailgate, a second tailgate was stamped, colored, die cut and added to the truck with foam tape.  I kept the background very simply, just ink blending a soft green on a panel of Bristol and adding to the Desert Storm card base.  The truck was adhered directly to the panel along with the corn stalk and one of the pumpkins with the second popped up with foam tape. Since I'd stamped "GR8FUL" for the license plate, I thought the thankful die cut sentiment worked well.  

As always, I really appreciate your visit!  I hope you'll use the link above to see all the fabulous cards by the other DT members and join us for this great color challenge!

Stef

Stamps:  Big Pickup Tailgate, Loads of Fall, Bitty Buzzwords: Fall (all Honey Bee Stamps)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White and Desert Storm, Early Espresso (Stampin' Up), Strathmore Bristol

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Clair Nocturne, Bundled Sage Distress

Other:  Stamp set matching dies

Copics:  Truck - E19, YR18, 14, W9, 7, 5, 3, 1, 0, C5, 3, 2, 1, E43, 42, 41; Pumpkins/Gourds - YR23, Y15, 13, 11, E43, 42, 41, 40, YR09, 16, Y38, 17, E59, 57, 55; Sunflower:  Y26, 15, 13, 11, E59, 57, 55, YG67, 63, 61

Floral Birthday

Hi there and welcome! Today I have a card to share that I made for Jaydee's Tic Tac Toe challenge at The Paper Players, the current Birthday challenge at Addicted To Stamps and the All Things Feminine at Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.

PP556

ATSC #413

 

WWC323

For the Tic Tac Toe board, I went down the left column - feminine, birthday, florals.

I've had this stamp set for a while and finally had a chance to use it, as it was perfect for all three challenges.  The floral image is one stamp and after I colored it with Copic markers, I used the matching die to cut it, which splits the sprays into two pieces to accommodate the sentiment in between.  I liked the idea of a bit of texture in the background, so I embossed a panel of white cardstock, then die cut it with a deckled rectangle die. I also stamped and die cut the sentiment with its matching die.

Next came mounting the sprays on the panel with thin foam squares, then adding the sentiment in the split. For some additional subtle contrast, I used an Ivory card base which the panel was adhered to with foam tape.  For as long as I have been making cards, I would have never mixed white and ivory on the same card, but lately I've seen other card makers do so and really liked the look. Good to change things up even if it's just mixing neutrals lol!  The final touch was to add a few satin white sequins.

As always, I so appreciate your visit!  Please take care and stay safe.

Stef

Stamps:  Just a Hello Floral (Emily Midgett for Pinkfresh Studio), Silhouette Sentiments (Simon Says Stamp)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Ivory (SSS)

Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black, Versafine Clair Nocturne

Other:  Tasteful Textile embossing folder (Stampin' Up), stamp set matching dies, Deckled Frame die (Waffle Flower), Satin White Sequins (Altenew)

Copics:  YG17, 05, 01, G28, 17, 03, BG07, 53, 11, 96, 93, 90, V28, 25, 22, 20, 17, 15, 12, R32, 30, 00

Beware the Cat for the Tic Tac Toe Challenge

Hello and welcome!  It's time for a new Tic Tac Toe Challenge and this week Carol has brought us a fun board to play with! I'm also joining the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where the current theme it "Stamp It!"

Tic Tac Toe Challenge

For my card I went down the middle column - cat, orange, tag.

I started with a panel of Bristol paper then heat embossed in black the broom riding cat and the bats.  I adore this image and the clever sentiment!  Next, I blended various distress inks over the images then die cut it with a tag die.  On a separate piece of Bristol I ink blended yellows and oranges then die cut it with a circle die to create the moon.

With all that done, the rest of the card was fairly simple.  A strip of embossed black cardstock was layered across a panel of orange that was then adhered to the black card base.  I used my black Copic marker to color some hemp twine, then tied on the bow before adding the tag to the card with foam tape.  The white embossed sentiment was added with thin black squares and lastly some black enamel dots were added.

Thanks for visiting, I really appreciate it!  Be sure to use the link above to check out the fabulous cards by the other DT members and hopefully join us this week!

Stef

Stamps:  Wicked Together (Picket Fence)

Paper:  Orange Peel and Black (Simon Says Stamp), Strathmore Bristol

Ink:  Versamark, Versafine Clair Nocturne, Wilted Violet, Spiced Marmalade, Carved Pumpkin, Wild Honey, Fossilized Amber, Squeezed Lemonade, Black Soot DI

Other:  Infinity Circle dies (Hero Arts), Tag Trio Die (Ellen Hutson), white and clear embossing powder, hemp twine, Copic 100 marker, Essential Black and White Enamel Dots (Altenew)