Beautiful Sunset

Good morning.

I just love when I get a few minutes to play around with my inks.  

I decided to try something different for creating this sky as the background for my stamp. 

So here's what I did.

I began with a piece of heavy cardstock and got out my Distress Oxide inks.  I took a baby wipe and pressed it right onto the ink pad, then with a sweeping motion in one direction , I went onto my paper.  I repeated that process using different colours of inks (all listed below) that I thought would make for an interesting sky.  I think the key to doing this technique is a gentle touch.  When I was done, I loved the look this very quick and easy technique gave.  

Next, I took the inked up piece and positioned it into my Misti.  I inked up this great stamp called Winter Woodland from Penny Black with black Versafine ink and stamped it over my bkg.

I really love this stamp for creating quick cards; stamp it over any background and you have created a quick and easy card.

After looking at my card, I decided to leave off the sentiment so I would have more options for using it for different occasions.

I simply mounted it onto a coordinating piece of blue cardstock, then onto a heavy white card base.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Shopping Our Stash- WINTER BLUES

Craft Stamper Magazine- ANYTHING GOES-Take it/Make it

Simply Create Too- MONOCHROMATIC

Brown Sugar- ANYTHING GOES

Supplies

Stamps- Winter Woodland (PB)

Inks- Versafine; Distress Oxides (Peacock Feathers, Bundled Sage, Broken China,

Stormy Sky, Weathered Wood, Salty Ocean)

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Misti (My Sweet Petunia); baby wipes

Smile Time

Hello there.

Here is a card I created using a great Mandala stencil from A Colorful Life Designs.

I really wanted to try to use it in a different way and this is what I came up with.

I began with a piece of heavy white cardstock and taped the Mandala stencil to my paper.

I wanted to create a resist effect, so I took my Versamark ink pad and pressed it carefully all over my stencil trying to be sure to get every little nook and cranny covered with ink.

I removed the stencil, sprinkled on some white Embossing Powder then heat set.

Next, I wanted to figure out how I would add colour.  I decided to try something different. 

I took my little mini cube stamp pads and pressed them over the embossed background.  I think it gave a different look instead of just inking the whole thing.  

After I had pressed all the ink onto the bkg., I gently rubbed away the excess ink that sat on top of the embossing.

I took the 'smile' die and cut it 3 times; twice with white and once on a coordinating colour of cardstock.  I glued them all together and added them over my card front.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Here is the stencil I used:

Discount Code for A Colorful Life Designs

*Just use the code KarenFan10 to get a discount on stencils and masks.*

Supplies

Stamps- none

Inks- Versamark; Lawn Fawn mini cubes

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Mandala stencil (A Colorful Life Designs); Smile die (STAMPlorations);

white eb powder; heat tool

Snow Storm

Good Morning.

Meet today's card inspired by the snowstorm we are in the middle of.  It's been such a weird winter here, not much snow up to this point but lots of rain.

So onto my card details.

I just had to pick up this wonderful stamp from the Colorado Stamp Comp. after seeing it on social media.  Love the look and how big it is.  I had such fun playing around with it.

I began with a piece of heavy white cardstock and placed it into my Misti.  I positioned the stamp,  painted it with some diluted Brushos and a wet paintbrush, then pressed onto my white cardstock.  I repeated that process until all areas of the snowflake had been inked with colour.

I just love the bold colour the Brushos give.

I had some diluted Brushos left on my palette, so I took a wet paintbrush and splattered the bkg.  No sense in letting good ink go to waste right?  Besides, I love the look of the splatters.

When it was all dry, it looked a little plain, so I die-cut it, then pop dot mounted it back over my card front then onto a heavy white card base.  I added a blue jewel to the center of my snowflake as the finishing touch.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Addicted to CAS- FROSTY

CAS on Friday- WINTER

Craft Stamper Magazine- ANYTHING GOES

Supplies

Stamp- Warm Wishes Snowflake (Colorado Stamp Company)

Inks- Brushos

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- paintbrush, Hemstitch die (Spellbinders); blue jewel; pop dots

From Me to You- CAS Watercolour Challenge

Welcome

So glad you popped in for a visit.

This is my reminder card for the 

CAS Watercolour Challenge

You still have some time to come and play along too!

This month we are creating using Cool colours.  

Here is a sampling of them:

We also want to welcome our Guest Designer this month:

Guest Designer:  Chrissie (Simply One of a Kind)

Here are my card details.

I just picked up this lovely bkg. stamp called Winter Floral Mix from SSS and wanted to play with it.

So, I took a piece of heavy white cardstock and placed it into my Misti.  I inked up the stamp with some Versamark ink, stamped and white heat embossed.

Next, I took some Brushos and a wet paintbrush and watercoloured in the image.  The stamp is technically meant to be a Christmas image but I love that these 'cool' colours make it look less like that.  I mounted the panel onto some white.

To add some interest, I dry embossed another piece of cardstock and added some scored lines as well.

I pop dotted my stamped panel over that and added the sentiment.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:

Addicted to Stamps and More- MAKE YOUR MARK

Use Your Stuff- ANYTHING GOES

The Crafter's Café- CAS

Supplies

Stamps- Winter Floral Mix (SSS); Everyday Sentiments (YNS)

Inks- Versamark; Brushos

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook); black cs (Michaels)

Accessories and Tools- Misti (My Sweet Petunia); white eb powder; heat tool;

pop dots; Embossing folder; Cuttlebug; paintbrush

Warm Thoughts- The Flower Challenge

Hello and Welcome back.

Time for a reminder card for 

The Flower Challenge

You still have time to play along with us.

This month we are using some of the gorgeous images created by 

Alex Syberia

She is also our Guest this month and has offered a prize of two of her lovely digital designs for our lucky winner!  She has some really beautiful designs in her store.  If you click on her name above, it will take you there.

Our design team will be using some of them for their shaped cards this month too!

So here's what I did to create my card.

This month, we are using Alex's digital images for our cards and the one I am using is called Christmas Frame.  So I took the digi and opened it into my 'Paint' program on my computer.  I sized it bigger as I wanted to use just one of the flower images on my circle card and printed it out.

Next, using my largest Spellbinder circle die, I cut out a circle card base.  When I laid my die onto my folded cardstock, I left it up a bit so that the top would stay intact and together on the fold to create the circle base.

I set that aside and cut a smaller circle that fit inside.  I fussy cut out my digi and coloured it using my Copic makers, then fit it within the smaller circle die cut.

I glued it all together, added the embossed sentiment with pop dots and some blue sequins.

The finishing touch was to add some shiny Nuvo drops to my flower center.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Adding my card to these challenges:
Not Just Cards- ANYTHING GOES
Use Your Stuff- ANYTHING GOES

Crafty Cardmakers- ANYTHING GOES

Supplies

Stamps- Everyday Sentiments (YNS); Digi (Alex Syberia)

Inks- Versamark, Copic markers

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Printer; white eb powder; blue sequins; Sparkle Nuvo Drops; 

pop dots; Circle dies (Spellbinder)

Be Yourself

Welcome.

Meet today's card.

I just picked up this great image from I Brake for Stamps from the set called The Old and New and wanted to get a chance to play with it. It's such a wonderful, iconic image and I wanted it to shine on my card.

I began by die-cutting some heavy white cardstock using the Wonky Frame die.  I masked the edges to contain the image to the framed area, then placed it into my Misti and stamped.  I added the sentiment....it just seemed to go perfectly with the image.

Next, I looked through all my 'hoarded' backgrounds and found this one.  

I had created it by inking up a piece of heavy white cardstock with some DOX inks, then stenciled over it with some black ink.  It is very dramatic looking and I thought it would work great with this image.

Thanks so much for coming by and taking a look.

Here is the stencil I used from A Colorful Life Designs called Lace Doily

Discount Code for A Colorful Life Designs

*Just use the code KarenFan10 to get a discount on stencils and masks.*

Adding my card to these challenges:

Use Your Stuff- ANYTHING GOES

Craft Stamper Magazine- TAKE IT/MAKE IT

Supplies

Stamps- Sentiment (Daisy Bucket, no longer in business); Old and New (I Brake for Stamps)

Inks- Versafine Clair Noir, DOX (TH)

Paper- heavy white (Scribes Nook)

Accessories and Tools- Lace Doily stencil (A Colorful Life Designs); inking tool;

Misti (My Sweet Petunia); Wonky Frame Die (Avery Elle); pop dots; painter's tape