Adore You Thanks

Hi there, I hope you're having a good weekend!  I found time to create a card for this week's challenge at Freshly Made Sketches. 

FMS 289

Using some small flower and leaf images from the Altenew Adore You stamp set, they were heat embossed with clear embossing powder on Tim Holtz Watercolor paper and colored with a water pen and Distress Inks.  Next, they were die cut with the Adore You companion dies.  I used Stampin' Up Layering Squares dies to cut the scallop squares for the center piece, then adhered the Adore You images on the lower left corner.

Well now, isn't that nice and bright?  ;-)  LOVE that purple and bright green together!  The sentiment, also from the Adore You stamp set, was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black, then fussy cut and popped up with foam tape.

With everything mounted on the Simon Says Stamp Royal Purple card stock, a piece of white Baker's Twine was tied around the top, then Nuvo drops and sequins finished things off. 

Thanks so much for visiting!  I've added a link above to the FMS challenge, so do be sure to head over there and enjoy all the incredible inspiration.

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Adore You (Altenew)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, SSS Royal Purple, Lawn Fawn Perfectly Plaid Rainbow dsp

Ink:  Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black, Wilted Violet and Mowed Lawn Ranger Distress Inks

Other:  Clear Stampin' Emboss Powder, SU Layering Squares Framelits, Adore You Companion Dies,  Pretty Pink Posh Wisteria Mix sequins, Nuvo Simply White Crystal Drops, SU White Thick Baker's Twine, Ranger Glossy Accents

More Spring Flowers

Hello again!  Tonight I have a card to share that I was asked to make by a group of managers at my office for their manager, who was recently promoted and will be leaving for that new position.  I decided to use my new favorite stamp set, More Spring Flowers from Simon Says Stamp.  I also used some of the blog candy products that I recently won at the SSS blog, including the card base and sequins.

I knew I wanted to make kind of bouquet of flowers in the corner of the card and at the same time leave plenty of "white space" so the gorgeous shimmery card base was visible (hard to capture in a photograph).  I decided to use a frame cut from Neenah Solar White with Stitched Rectangle dies to anchor the flowers.  After heat embossing the stamped images on Bristol paper, I used Zig markers to color everything (colors listed below), then die cut them with the stamp set companion dies.  Without attaching anything, I arranged the scene in order to determine where to stamp the sentiment on the card base.  After using my Misti to ensure the sentiment was straight, it was stamped in Versamark ink then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  After taking care of the sentiment, all the other parts were adhered, including some sequins.  Drops of Glossy Accents were added - they look so pretty, just like dew drops.

Stamp Ink Paper is celebrating its 100th challenge (woo hoo!) and for this week it's Card Maker's Choice, using our favorite stamp set ink colors and paper.  Done, done and done!  I've added a link below so be sure to head over there and enjoy all the amazing inspiration.

SIP 100

Thank you so much for visiting.  I hope the remainder of your weekend is enjoyable!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  More Spring Flowers (SSS), Wild About Flowers (sentiment-Stampin' Up)

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Strathmore Bristol, Crafter's Companion Precut A2 cards in Shimmering Yellow Pearl

Ink:  Versamark, Zig markers - Lilac, Violet, Light Violet, May Green, Light Green, Yellow, Lemon Yellow, Bright Yellow

Other:  SSS Stitched Rectangle dies, More Spring Flowers companion dies, Hero Arts White embossing powder, SSS and Pretty Pink Posh sequins, Nuvo White Blizzard drops, Ranger Glossy Accents

Handlettered Greetings

Hi there and welcome back!  It's been a while since I posted anything, mainly because life just got in the way LOL!  But today I'm sharing a card using Ranger Distress Inks and the wonderful Neat & Tangled Polygon Cover Die.

To start with, 3 colors of Distress Inks were blended on a piece of Bristol card stock with a Tim Holtz Mini Blending Tool, then splattered with water drops that were then absorbed with a paper towel, leaving the lovely water splotches.  Next the panel was adhered to a same size panel of fun foam, then cut with the Polygon Cover Plate Die from Neat & Tangled.  I used a shim to ensure the die cut all the way through the foam layer.  In order to adhere the die cut pieces to the card while preserving the pattern, I did not remove the cut away portion (the part in between and outside the shapes) but instead turned the whole thing over and applied Glossy Accents to the back of the die cut pieces only, adhered it to the base of white card stock, then piled a couple of books on top of it and allowed the glue to dry, which took about 2 hours.  When dry, I removed the cut portion to reveal the spaces between the polygon shapes.  I hope that makes sense!  I was inspired to use this technique by the lovely Laura Bassen in this post (link). 

Next the Handlettered Greetings die from Simon Says Stamp was cut three times, adhered together then to the card, then painted with Clear Wink of Stella to add that bit of sparkle (a bit hard to see in this photo).  Finally, some sequins from Simon Says Stamp and Pretty Pink Posh were added for a bit more bling.

Thanks for taking time to visit!  Have a great week!

Stef


Product detail
Stamps:  None
Paper:  Strathmore Bristol
Ink:  Ranger Distress:  Twisted Citron, Cracked Pistachio, Peacock Feathers
Other:  Handlettered Greetings die, Pretty Pink Post Sparkling Clear Sequins, Simon Says Stamp Vintage Chic sequins, Clear Wink of Stella, Neat & Tangled Polygon die, Fun Foam

Remarkable You

Welcome back and Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there!  I've created a card for the current challenges at CAS(E) this Sketch and Just Add Ink (Inspiration).  I've used a stamp set from Stampin' Up that I haven't used in a while and thought the flower image would work perfectly for the vertical rectangle in the sketch.

CTS #221

JAI #359

I started by cutting a panel from Bristol card stock, and then heat embossing the image with white embossing powder.  I used Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers to color the image, spreading the ink around the image with a water brush.  I dried it with my heat tool then flicked gold watercolor paint on it as well as the card base.  Once that dried, the vellum strip with the heat embossed sentiment was wrapped around the panel.

The card base was also cut from Bristol in order to have the same color white as the water colored panel.  I pulled out a piece of Textured Pacific Point card stock (long retired) and cut it to fit horizontally across the base.  Once the main image was mounted with foam tape, some sequins were added for a little more sparkle.

Thank for visiting!  I've added links to both challenges above, so be sure to head over there and enjoy all the amazing inspiration.

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Remarkable You

Paper:  Textured Pacific Point, Strathmore Vellum, Vellum

Ink:  Versamark; Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers:  Blue Haze, Dark Pink, Mid & Olive Greens

Other:  Hero Arts White Embossing Powder, Stampin' Up Metallic Sequins, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequins, Yasutomo Gold Watercolor Paint (Aaron Brothers)

Cottage Thanks

Hello again!  I have a simple card to share with you that was made for the current challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.  I made it easy on myself by using a piece of Serene Scenery Designer Series Paper, added a sentiment and some sequins, and done!

In order to capture the glow of the sun in the large piece of dsp, I had to switch the vertical panel to the right side of the card.  The dotted dsp is the reverse of the main image and was layered on Whisper White and Gold Foil card stock.  The sentiment was heat embossed on Whisper White card stock with gold embossing powder and die cut with a Bitty Banner die.  Once it was added to the card front, I glued some Metallic Sequins in place to finish things off.

I've added a link below to the FMS challenge, so be sure to head over there and check out all the beautiful inspiration!

FMS 287

Thanks for visiting!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  Cottage Greetings

Paper:  Whisper White, Gold Foil, Serene Scenery dsp stack

Ink:  Versamark

Other:  Gold embossing powder, Metallic Sequins

Serene Wishes

Hello again!  I've been playing around with the Serene Scenery designer series paper stack from Stampin' Up and came up with a couple of cards this week.  This first post shares the first card I made using the current sketch at Mojo Monday for my card.  I just love this layout because there are so many different ways it can be used!

Mojo 496

I've never chosen to use designer series paper with photos in the 10 years I've been crafting but a couple of months ago I changed my mind after I finally had a good look at Serene Scenery (unfortunately, retiring the end of this month), because the images are all so soft and beautiful.  For this card I used the diffused leaf shot for the main image of my card.

The sentiment on the vellum piece is from a long retired Stampin' Up set and was inked up with Versafine ink and heat embossed with white embossing powder.  It was then wrapped around the main image, which had been mounted on a same size piece of white card stock to make it less flimsy.  Once the Olive Green panel was added to the back, I used foam tape to adhere it to the base, where I had added two strips of dsp.  The dotted one is the back side of the leaf image and the striped piece is from SU Brights Designer Series Paper Stack.  Lastly, Pretty Pink Posh Droplets were added.  I love how they look like dew drops on the leaves.

Thanks so much for visiting, it's so appreciated!  Do be sure to use the link above to visit Mojo Monday and enjoy the beautiful inspiration.  And be sure to check back later, I'll be adding a couple more posts.

Stef

Product detail

Stamps:  Holidays & Wishes

Paper:  Neenah Solar White, Textured Old Olive, Vellum, Brights dsp stack, Serene Scenery dsp stack

Ink:  Versamark

Other:  White embossing powder, Pretty Pink Posh Droplets

Marmalade Butterfly

Hi there, I hope you're having a great weekend!  I thought I'd share with you a card I finished yesterday for the current challenge at Freshly Made Sketches.

FMS 286

I decided to create my own background using a lovely cone flower image that was part of a kit I purchased from Simon Says Stamp.  The kit contained 3 stamps, 2 flower images and a butterfly, all by Tim Holtz for Stampers Anonymous.  The flower I used was stamped with Versafine Onyx Black ink on a panel of Neenah Solar White .

The butterfly was stamped in Versamark ink on watercolor paper, then heat embossed with white embossing powder.  I used Worn Lipstick and Spiced Marmalade Distress Inks, drying with a heat tool between adding layers of color.  Once I was satisfied with the color, I used my paper snips to fussy cut it, which is always interesting when doing butterfly antenna.  ;-)

Next, the burlap ribbon and strip of Tangelo Twist card stock were added to the panel using Score tape, then the butterfly was mounted on a white card stock circle and popped up on the card with Dimensionals.  I really didn't want to make the background much busier so I added just a few Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins and Nuvo drops.  After the drops were dry, the card base was adhered to the back and the flower stamped a couple of times on the inside.

I've added a link to the challenge above, so do head over there and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration!  Thanks for visiting!

Stef


Product details
Stamps:  Tim Holtz Distress Watercolor Kit (Simon Says Stamp)
Paper:  80# and 110# Neenah Solar White, Tangelo Twist, (retired Stampin' Up) Tim Holtz Watercolor
Ink:  Versamark, Versafine Onyx Black, Spiced Marmalade and Worn Lipstick Distress Inks
Other:  Hero Arts White Embossing Powder, Stitched Shapes Circle die (SU), 5/8" Burlap ribbon (SU), Orange Marmalade Nuvo Jewel Drops, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear sequins

That Is All with Distress Oxide Inks

Hello again!  My second post today, this one using the new Tim Holtz Distress Oxide inks for the background of my card.  I'm sure many of you have by now seen the large number of videos about the properties of these inks, but if not, they are different in that they are a unique mix of dye and pigment inks, that blend incredibly well and because they are not water reactive after drying, can be used to make multi-layered backgrounds.  This last technique is not one I have tried yet, but hope to soon. 

For today's card, I blended Worn Lipstick, Fossilized Amber and Spiced Marmalade Oxide Distress Inks on a panel of Neenah Solar White using a Tim Holtz Mini Blending tool.  Next, I laid a stencil on my craft mat, misted it with clear water, and laid the wet side on the blended panel.  Then, after gently pressing the stencil down, I quickly pulled it off to get a very subtle pattern.

Ooo, love those colors together!  For this card I used the sketch from the current Fab Friday challenge as it is a very CAS layout, to maximize the visible area of the background. 

After layering the Whisper White and Flirty Flamingo vertical pieces, the sentiment from the fabulous That Is All stamp set from WPlus9 was added.  Stamping the "you are" portion of the sentiment on Smoky Slate, it was heat embossed with white embossing powder and trimmed down.  The large die cut word was stamped on white card stock with Versafine Onyx Black, heat embossed with clear embossing powder, then die cut with the companion die.  Now looking at it, I feel a bit like Yoda (Amazing, you are) ha ha but it was the best way I found to fit the words together.  So hopefully the recipient isn't as weird as I am and instead will be more taken with the message (and maybe the background) than worrying about the sentiment arrangement.  ;-)

The last thing added were the Pretty Pink Posh sequins.

Here's the Fab Friday sketch and a link to the challenge, so be sure to head over there and enjoy all the beautiful inspiration!

FabFri 111

Thanks so much for visiting!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  That Is All (WPlus9)

Paper:  Whisper White, Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach, Smoky Slate (all Stampin' Up!) Neenah Solar White

Ink:  Versamark; Versafine Onyx Black; Distress Inks:  Worn Lipstick, Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade

Other:  Bold Floral Stencil (Hero Arts), That Is All companion dies, Sparkle Embossing Folder (SU), Scallop Trim Border punch (SU), PPP Sparkling Clear and Blossom Mix sequins

Mother's Day

Hello again!  Recently I pulled out another one of the images from Susy's Mothers and Flowers Paintable Prints from Simon Says Stamp, this time with a Mother's Day theme.  I love the wreath of cute flowers and had lots of fun water coloring them.  The prints are on Tim Holtz water color paper, which is nice since it is a much brighter white than most water color paper.

A number of Distress Inks were used to color the flowers (listed below), applying 2-3 layers of ink to get the colors to really pop.  In order to have better control of the amount of water as I was coloring, I used a watercolor paint brush rather than a water brush.  After it was dry, the panel was adhered to the Royal Purple card stock base with foam tape, then Nuvo drops were added to the centers of the pink and coral flowers and Glossy Accents to all the dots that surround the wreath and to the centers of the orange flowers.  A few sequins, clear droplets and Baker's Twine were the final touches.

I'm joining the current Mother's Day challenge at Stamp, Ink, Paper and hope you'll use the link added below to head over there and check out all the beautiful inspiration!

SIP 97

Thanks so much for visiting!

Stef

Product details

Stamps:  None

Paper:  Suzy's Mothers and Flowers Paintable Prints, Royal Purple card stock (both from Simon Says Stamp)

Ink:  Seedless Preserves, Wilted Violet, Blueprint Sketch, Peeled Pain, Shabby Shutters, Squeezed Lemonade, Mustard Seed, Dried Marigold, Spiced Marmalade, Worn Lipstick, Barn Door, Abandoned Coral, Fired Brick

Other:  Simply White and Rosewater Nuvo Drops, Glossy Accents, Pretty Pink Posh Droplets and Wisteria Blossom Mix Sequins, Daffodil Delight Baker's Twine (Stampin' Up!)

Flora Thanks

Hi there friends!  I'm sharing a card that I made with a gorgeous background stamp from Simon Says Stamp.  While it was time consuming to color, it was also a labor of love (because I LOVE this stamp!) and worth it in the end I think.

I cut a piece of Strathmore Bristol paper to 6" x 6", which is just slightly larger than the stamp, then used a Misti to stamp twice with Versamark to ensure a good stamped image before heat embossing with white embossing powder.  Coloring then ensued using Zig markers and a water brush.  The pattern was somewhat overwhelming at first but I started from the middle and worked my way out, coloring the same parts as I moved my way around the card.  After the flowers and leaves were dry, I used a very light gray to color the background in-between the images.  While not so obvious in the photos, IRL the gray helps the white embossing pop at bit.

To assemble the card I trimmed down the background image to 4.5" square, then adhered to a slightly larger card base cut from Crushed Cucumber card stock.  For the die cut sentiment I used some Stick It adhesive to the back of a scrap of white card stock large enough to cut the word twice, the layered one on the other after running through my Big Shot, and because the bottom piece had Stick It on the back as well, it was easy to adhere to the vellum flag.  I then turned the vellum over and added foam tape just under the die cut in order to hide the adhesive.  I hesitated to add any embellishments because the background is already so busy but finally decided on a few sequins for a bit of sparkle.  For the interior, I added one of the trimmed pieces to the bottom of the white card stock panel I added for a greeting.

I'm entering this into three challenges - the current challenge at Color Throwdown, Jaydee's fun Tic Tac Toe challenge at The Paper Players, and the current Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge where Anything Goes this week.  I've added links below, so be sure to head over to the challenges and enjoy all the gorgeous inspiration!

CTD 440

PP342

SSS Anything Goes

Thanks for visiting!

Stef

Product details:

Stamps:  Flora Background (SSS)

Paper:  Cucumber Crush (SU), Neenah Solar White, Strathmore Bristol, Vellum

Ink:  Versamark, Zig Clean Color Real Brush Markers:  Light Pink, Purple, May Green, Yellow Green, Yellow, Cool Gray 1

Other:  SSS Thanks die, Pretty Pink Posh Sparkling Clear Sequins, Kuretake Water Brush, Stick It adhesive

Greetings, Baby!

Hello again!  I've made a fun little baby card for a couple of challenges - the current Color Challenge at Splitcoaststampers using the Stampin' Up! colors of Pink Pirouette, Soft Sky and Smoky Slate, and the wonderful sketch challenge at The Paper Players.

SCS CC632

PP 341

The SU Moon Baby set has some darling baby images, but to fit into the small rectangle on in the sketch, I ended up using the cute image with the little stuffed animals.

I stamped the image in Versafine Onyx Black on Canson watercolor paper and heat embossed it with clear embossing powder.  I then water colored the bunny with Smoky Slate ink and the bear with Crumb Cake ink using a watercolor paint brush.  When that dried I added the pink cheeks and ears to all three critters, then used my White Extrafine Sharpie to color the lamb because the watercolor paper is more ivory than white.  Finally, the background was water colored with a light wash of Soft Sky.

Once the panel was dry, I mounted it on a slightly larger rectangle of Smoky Slate that was cut on the bottom with a SU Scallop Border punch.  It was then layered with foam tape on the base that was sporting a strip of pink dsp with hearts that I've long hoarded kept in my stash.  ;-)  Next, the die cut sentiment from the Simon Says Stamp Handlettered Greetings cut from Pink Pirouette card stock was glued to the focal point, just slightly hanging off each side.

Finishing touches included using some Nuvo White Blizzard Glitter Drops to both the interior of the stars and also to create drops, adding Clear Wink of Stella to the little animals, and finally a little flower from the Little Princess sequins from Simon Says Stamp.

I appreciate your visit and hope you'll use the links above to check out all the wonderful inspiration at both of the challenges.

Stef

Elphie Birthday Stack

Hi there and welcome back!  I had fun playing with the cute Elphie Selfie stamp set from Lawn Fawn yesterday, making a card for the current challenge at CAS(E) this Sketch.  For the center strip of the sketch I decided to stack the cute images from the set.

CTS 218

Using my Misti, I lined up all the stamps on a panel of Strathmore Mixed Media paper where I wanted to place them to get the correct spacing, then inked up and stamped only the two elephants and bird on the panel, as the other images and sentiment were stamped on separate pieces of card stock so they could be popped up with foam tape.  After all the images were stamped, I used various Zig markers and a water brush for coloring.

The cake, mouse and balloon were die cut with the matching Lawn Cuts dies and adhered with foam tape, then the sentiment was added after heat embossing on black card stock and hand cutting the flag ends with my paper snips.  Hard to tell from the photos, but Clear Wink of Stella was added to the balloon and cake frosting for a bit of sparkle.

I just love these sweet images and the fun scenes that can be made with them!

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

Stef


Product Details
Stamps:  Elphie Selfie (Lawn Fawn)
Paper:  Strathmore Mixed Media, Basic Black (Stampin' Up!), Royal Purple (Simon Says Stamp)
Ink:  Versafine Onyx Black, Versamark, Zig Markers:  Gray, Light Pink, Purple, Dark Brown, Cobalt Blue, Beige, Yellow, Bright Yellow
Other:  Elphie Selfie Matching Lawn Cuts, Hero Arts White Embossing Powder, Kuretake Water Brush, Clear Wink of Stella

Mothers and Flowers Paintable Prints

Hello again!  So glad you are here to see what I am sharing today.  I recently purchased from Simon Says Stamp the new set of Suzy's Mothers and Flowers Watercolor Paintable Prints, which are A2 sized pieces of Tim Holtz distress watercolor paper with gorgeous prints by the fabulous Suzy Plantamura.  All the images are so lovely, but I chose the panel with the large flower images, trimming them out with my paper snips after water coloring because I wanted to use a different sentiment from that on the printed panel.  I already had this idea in mind to use with the Mojo sketch challenge (see below), then I saw Amy Rysavy's video (Amy R Prairie Paper and Ink) earlier this week where she did the same thing!  Ha!  I only wish the package contained more copies of these flower images or that Simon would come out with a stamp of this image because I loved water coloring it.

The flower image was colored using a waterbrush and Distress Inks.  Starting with the flower center, I covered it with a light layer of Scattered Straw, then added a tiny bit of Ground Espresso for shading.  Once it dried a bit I added another layer of the same colors but it just didn't seem lively enough, so I pulled out Spiced Marmalade, which created the color I was going for.  Next I moved to the stems and leaves, using Shabby Shutters for a light base and Peeled Paint to shade.  After coloring the flower petals with Abandoned Coral and Fired Brick, I let image dry (helped with my heat tool in the end) before fussy cutting. 

For the background, a piece of Strathmore Bristol paper was trimmed down, then sponged with more distress inks (Squeezed Lemon, Broken China and Shabby Shutters) using the Tim Holtz Mini Blending Tools.  Next I misted and splattered larger water drops, let it sit for a minute, then sopped up the water with a towel.  I think I've said it before, but using the Bristol takes all the anxiety out of blending distress inks.  I've watched many a video about "using a light hand" etc., in ways to effectively blend but was not always successful until I discovered how well they work on Bristol paper.

The sentiment from the Stampin' Up! Circle of Spring stamp set was stamped in Versafine Onyx Black on Neenah Solar White, cut with a SU Stitched Shapes die, then mounted on a scalloped circle of SU Basic Black card stock, and adhered to the blended panel after the flowers were popped up on foam tape.  Before adhering the panel to the card, I layered a strip of Watermelon Wonder card stock wrapped with Basic Black Baker's Twine.  The inside was finished with a strip of the same card stock.

I'm joining 3 challenges with this card, including Mojo Monday (sketch), and two challenges at Simon Says Stamp where both themes are showers and/or flowers.  I've added links to all three below, so be sure to use them to check out all the wonderful inspiration!

Mojo 493

SSS Wednesday Challenge

SSS Work It Wednesday April 2017

Thanks so much for visiting!

Stef