All Natural

 Good Morning.

I have the pleasure of hosting the TLC (Technique Lovers) Challenge at Splitcoast this week.

The challenge is called 

ALL NATURAL

  My challenge is all about using 'natural' elements to create a card.

I love being out in my garden and trying to bring my love of cardmaking and gardening together is always a favourite technique I like to play around with.

For my card, I used some geraniums from my garden, placed them onto a piece of watercolor paper and ran them through my Cuttlebug.  The flowers transferred their color onto my paper and I was left with a most beautiful impression.

Keeping my card super simple, I stamped the sentiment from the Penny Black set called Treasured Sentiments with black Memento ink and mounted the piece on some pale purple cardstock.

I added some scored lines to the top and bottom to add some definition to the panel.  

I would love for you to give it a try.  You can press leaves, flowers, weeds; anything you can find outside and use it to press and transfer an impression onto your paper.

If you don't own a die-cutting machine, place a piece of paper over the natural piece and hit it with a hammer to transfer the image onto your paper.

Helpful hints:  if your impression is too wet, dry with your heat gun a bit and press again.

If your natural element won't press because it's too dry, give it a light spray of water to help transfer the color.

 Adding my card to these challenges:

Penny Black Saturday Challenge:  YOUR FAV TECHNIQUE

Brown Sugar- BLACK, WHITE and a SPLASH OF COLOR

Simply Papercrafts- ANYTHING GOES



If you get a chance to try this out, I would love to see what you create so drop me a note and a link to your card!

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies:  stamps- PB/ Cuttlebug/ garden finds/ ink- Memento/ ScorPal

Blooming Celebration

 Happy Saturday!

I have been so super busy and haven't had a chance to stamp for days!  Having a few withdrawal symptoms...LOL.  

So today was the day I got to play with this new flower stamp set from Altenew and play along with the Inspiration Challenge at Splitcoast.

This Altenew stamp set is a multi-stamp set as many of their gorgeous flower sets are.  Having a MISTI makes using these sets a whole lot easier for stamping the details and adding the different layers of colour.  I used a combination of blue Distress inks to stamp the layers and then the last detail stamping was done using Memento black ink which really gave the flower a lot of definition.  I used a wet paintbrush to help blend the colours and layers after stamping.

While that dried, I stamped the sentiment from the Penny Black set called Sentiment Collection with Memento ink.  Using a fine-line black marker, I drew in a border to help pull all the elements together. 

The flowers looked a bit dark to me so I splattered a bit of white acrylic paint over them to brighten them up a bit.
 

Adding my card to these challenges:

Little Red Wagon- HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Brown Sugar- BLACK, WHITE and a SPLASH OF COLOR

Simply Papercrafts- ANYTHING GOES

Moving Along With the Times- CLEAN AND SIMPLE

Have a great weekend and thanks so much for the visit!

Supplies:  stamps- Penny Black, Altenew/ ink- Memento, Distress/ paint brush/ MISTI/ wh acylic paint/ fine line black marker

Framed Flowers

 Morning.

Today I am playing with some 'new to me' Yupo paper and Distress inks.  Any day I get to play with inks is a good day and I have never used Yupo before.  I was mesmerized with it and how it takes colour.  For those of you that are not familiar with Yupo, it is a synthetic plastic paper that you can create amazing patterns and designs with.  It does have a mind of it's own and the inks flow wherever they want to go.
So here's what I did to create my card.

The background is a piece of Yupo that I coloured using Distress inks.  I rubbed the inks onto my non-stick craft mat, sprayed with a generous amount of water and dragged the paper through the ink.  The ink flowed where it wanted to go and the water helped push the colour in some areas.  You must be patient and let this paper dry on it's own because using a heat gun will melt and warp your paper.  I also discovered that if you put too much wetness and colour on this paper, it will never dry and you may have to dab some of the ink off with a paper towel.  

I die-cut the flowers from Memory Box and painted them using Memento markers scribbled on my acrylic block.  Just a tip:  if you want to stamp onto the Yupo over ink you must use a permanent ink or it will smear.  

I cut a frame using a die from MFT and framed the flowers after gluing them to the background.

I love the simple, clean and simple look.

 Adding my card to these challenges:

Addicted to CAS- SILHOUETTE

Simon Says- MAKE FOR THE BORDER

Addicted to Stamps and More- MAKE YOUR MARK

Allsorts Challenge- FABULOUS FLORALS

Moving Along with the Times- CLEAN and SIMPLE

Thanks so very much for all your most kind comments and coming by to take a look.

I appreciate you!

Supplies:  dies- MFT, Memory Box/ inks- Distress, Memento markers/ paint brush/ Yupo paper/ non-stick craft mat

Summer Sunset

 Morning.  

Meet today's card.

I am playing along with a challenge at Splitcoast this morning called Summer's End.  

It feels sad to think that summer is coming to an end already and that soon the kids will be back in school.  Where did the time go?  

Anyways, I decided to showcase one of my most favorite times of summer, the sunsets especially if you are at the beach to watch them.  

I began by die cutting a circle using a Spellbinder die, then I stamped the trees from Flonz in black Memento ink and clear embossed them.  The embossing acts like a resist which is especially good when you are applying inks over and around the image.  Next, I cut another small circle to use as a mask for the moon and placed it over the image.

I sponged Mustard Seed, Ripe Persimmon, Fired Brick and Vintage Photo Distress inks to add the colour in the bkg.  I then removed the small circle and rubbed just a touch of the orange on the white masked area to add a glow to the moon.

Some of my embossing powder went astray at the bottom but I left it as it reminded me of waves crashing up onto the rocks.  I mounted that onto a larger stitched circle and stamped the sentiment from Penny Black.

 Adding my card to these challenges:

Little Red Wagon- SURF'S UP

 CASology- DREAM (of being at the beach!)

Simon Says- MAKE FOR THE BORDER

Addicted to Stamps and More- MAKE YOUR MARK

The Sisterhood of Crafters- CLOSE TO NATURE

Thanks so much to all the well wishes...so appreciated.

My dental surgery went well and I have a swollen face and 6 stitches in my gums but I'm not in pain!

Hopefully, this will clear up this ongoing problem.

Thanks for taking a look too!

Supplies:  stamps- Flonz, Penny Black/ dies- Spellbinder, MFT, My Next Stamp/ inks- Memento, DI/ Cuttlebug/ sponging tool/ clear eb powder/ heat tool

Embossed Get Well

 Hello.  

Today's card was made for a friend who is recovering from surgery.  

I am off this week so have got a bit of extra time to play and I am trying to get a few things done before I have some dental surgery on Wednesday.

I love this flower from STAMPlorations and wanted to use it to make a card.  I just love all the details it has and I really wanted to showcase that so had to think about how I could stamp the flowers and keep them white on my card front.  There were 2 ways I could have gone with trying to achieve that look; I could have masked after stamping or embossed the whole flower.  

So, I stamped the flower using black Memento ink then embossed the flowers with clear ink.  The flowers looked a bit dull to me, so my decision was made to emboss them with clear.

I took out my Versamark pen and coloured in the flowers, poured on the clear embossing powder and heat set.  The flowers really popped and had such a lovely sheen which they wouldn't have had if I had just masked them.  It also created a resist for inking up my background.  

I stamped the sentiment from Studio G then embossed it with clear as well.

Next, I inked the whole background with Peacock Feathers and Salty Ocean Distress inks, concentrating more color around the flowers and less around the sentiment to really make them be the focal point of this card.  

I sprayed on some water to lift the color and add depth and interest around the flowers...like little drops of rain.

The last step was to wipe away any ink that remained on the top of the embossed flowers to reveal these bright, white beauties.

 

 Adding my card to these challenges:

STAMPlorations CAS Challenge- ANYTHING GOES

(I opted for no gold)

 CAS Mix Up- STAMPING, SPRAYS (water) and YOUR CHOICE (embossing)

Paper Creator- KEEP IT SIMPLE 

My Time to Craft- EMBOSSING

Brown Sugar- ANYTHING GOES

Thanks so much for coming to take a look.

Supplies:  stamps- STAMPlorations, Studio G/ clear eb powder/ Versamark pen/ heat tool/ ink-Distress, Memento, MISTI

Cherished Friendships

 Meet today's card.

I wanted to make a simple, one layer card to play along with the challenge at One Layer Simplicity.

If you haven't checked it out, I hope you get a chance to read about the fun theme this month.

I began by cutting a circle mask using a Spellbinder circle die.  I adhered it to my card front then stamped the Shade Canopy tree from Penny Black and heat embossed it with white powder.

I rubbed on Weathered Wood Distress ink over the tree being sure to concentrate more of the color over the tree and making the other side a few shades lighter. 

I removed the mask and stamped the sentiment from the Treasured Sentiment set also from Penny Black.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More- ANYTHING GOES 

My Time to Craft- EMBOSSING

Cardz for Galz- MONOCHROMATIC

The Sisterhood of Crafters- CLOSE TO NATURE



Thanks so very much for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies:  stamps- Penny Black/ ink- Memento, Distress/ wh eb powder/ heat tool/ circle die- Spellbinders

Baby's First

 Morning.

Here is a card I made for a special little girl celebrating her first birthday.

I love these sweet and fun free digis from MelonHeadz.

I began by printing off the little girl image, colored it with Copic markers then fussy cut it out.

TIP:  Lightly spray your printed digital with Krylon Workable Fixative to prevent bleeding if you are painting your image or coloring...it works great!!! 
 

I scratched my head trying to think about what kind of background to place it over,  so I got out my stencils hoping to be inspired.  I thought this circle one from Simon Says was fun so I stenciled just a small portion of the card front using Spun Sugar Distress inks.  It made the perfect backdrop to pop dot the image onto.  I stamped the birthday sentiment from Penny Black just under the stenciling, added a black rhinestone to the headband and done.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Craft Your Passion- ANYTHING GOES 

The Cutie Pie Challenge- WORK, REST or PLAY

Get Creative- ALL WHITE (SPLASHES OF COLOUR)

A Bit More Time to Craft- CELEBRATE

ABC Challenge- MAIDEN (card for young girl)

Thanks so much for taking a look.

Supplies:  stamps- PB/ digi- Melonheadz/ Krylon- WALMART/ pop dots/ stencil-SSS/ ink-Distress, Memento/ sponging applicator

Bokeh Birthday

 Meet today's card.

Just a fun one using a simple bokeh looking card.

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the term 'bokeh' basically it is a photographic effect that photographers can give to a photo to make the lights looked blurred and reflective.

 I began by randomly sponging Peacock Feathers, Salty Ocean, Dusty Concord and Faded Jeans Distress inks over my white card front.  Using white Colorbox ink, I sponged circles of different sizes all over the sponged Distress inks adding more white to some and layering them. This ink is a pigment ink so will sit on top of the layers of other colors.  The white will take awhile to dry, so you can either wipe with a dry cloth or heat set with your heat gun.

(I used a stencil I cut from a leftover piece of acetate and Spellbinder circle dies)

 I splattered some water over the whole piece, lifting some of the colour to add extra interest.

While that dried a bit, I cut the Happy Birthday from Simon Says and then glued it onto my bokeh bkg.

 Added some little clear crystal stones to make the whole design shine a bit.

 Adding my card to these challenges:

Simon Says- CELEBRATE

Addicted to Stamps and More- PHOTO INSPIRATION

Craft Stamper- STENCILS AND MASKS

Just Us Girls- WATER

Pile it On- MAKE YOUR OWN BKG

Love to Create- ANYTHING CREATIVE/ MIXED MEDIA

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies:  stamps-none/ die- SSS/ stencil- I made/ Distress ink, Colorbox/ crystal stones/ sponge applicator

Layered Stenciling

 Morning.

If you are a regular reader of my blog then you know how I love to create backgrounds and play with inks to add depth and interest to my cards.  I was really happy about how this one turned out.

I began with a stencil by The Crafter's Workshop called Mini Harlequin Circles.  I laid it over my white cardstock and using Shaded Lilac, I stenciled the first layer.  I moved the stencil then using Peacock Feathers I stenciled again leaving some open white space.

Next, using my MISTI, I inked the flowers from Tim Holtz with different colours of Memento markers, sprayed with water and stamped.  I continued to add more interest and layering to my card by stamping the same flowers with Versamark and  embossed them in white.

Lastly, I stamped the sentiment from Impression Obsession with black Memento ink and splattered on some black acrylic paint.

 Adding my card to these challenges:

Simon Says- FABULOUS FLORALS

Craft Stamper- STENCILS AND MASKS

 Crafting With Friends- ANYTHING GOES

Just Add Ink- ADD 'F'  

 (florals)

Crafting With An Attitude- ANYTHING GOES

Have a wonderful weekend and thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies:  stamps- Tim Holtz, Impression Obsession/ stencil-TCW/ ink- Distress, Memento, Versamark/ white EB powder/ heat tool/mini mister/ Memento markers/ black acrylic paint/ Misti

By the Sea

 Morning.

If you read yesterday's blog post, it was a holiday for us so I had time to play and right now at Splitcoast Stampers there is a huge challenge going on for members so I was in.

 I made my card using stamps from Gina K and Distress inks.

This card began with a leftover piece of inked paper that I had made by dragging my paper through wet Distress ink...Salty Ocean, Peacock Feathers and Cracked Pistachio (bottom of my card).  Just press your stamp pad onto your non-stick craft sheet, spray with a generous amount of water and drag your paper through the ink.  The colours blend and you are left with a beautiful background to create with.

So I stamped the image once onto a plain piece of paper, then again on the inked paper.  I pieced them together and glued.  At this point, the top was stamped but the sky was plain white so I took a wet paint brush and some more ink and painted in the sky.  

Stamped the birds then mounted the panel with pop dots and added the sentiment.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Simon Says- ANYTHING GOES

Crazy 4 Challenges- SOMEWHERE THAT BRINGS YOU PEACE AND JOY

Addicted to Stamps and More- CAS

Crafty Cardmakers- SUMMER

Get Creative- LOTS OF BLUE

CAS Mix Up- STAMPING/ SPRAY/ WATERCOLOURING

Thanks for coming by and taking a look.

Supplies:  stamps- Gina K/ inks- Distress, Memento/ paint brush/ non-stick craft mat/ mini mister

Life's Treasures

We are enjoying a day off so today I am playing with some new releases from Penny Black to create a Friendship card with a vintage feel.

I began by creating the background.  I inked up my acrylic block with Distress inks, sprayed with water then pressed onto my cardstock.  I repeated this process until my paper was covered with ink.  I also went back in with a wet paintbrush to help blend and to add extra colour to some areas.

While that dried, I die-cut this new flower set called Shall We Dance in dark purple to match the bkg. colour.  I love scripts and PB has just come out with a new one called Script.  The font on this one is really gorgeous.  I stamped it along the left hand side to help anchor my purple flowers and to give the background a bit more depth and interest.
Using my MISTI, I stamped the sentiment from the Treasured Sentiment set.  Please forgive my sloppy splatters....I just got in the zone and they went everywhere.


Adding my card to these challenges:

Simon Says- ANYTHING GOES

CAS Mix Up- STAMPING/SPRAYS/ YOUR CHOICE (die cut)

Just Us Girls- LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE GIRLS


Have a great week and thanks so much for dropping in.

Supplies:  stamps- PB/ ink- Distress, Memento/ die- PB/ acrylic paint/ paint brush/ acrylic block/ mini mister