Sparkle

Full Disclosure:  If this card seems like a repeat, it is:  it was inadvertently posted on August 29 instead of September 29.  Sorry for the dupe . . .

 

A Blue Ribbon winner:

The second I laid eyes on this enchanting stamp at the Allentown Stamp Show a couple of years ago, I grabbed it . . .

. . . I just loved the energy and mutual dependence these two have with each other – kind of like a good marriage, right?

Cardstock:   Paper Cut Matte White, American Crafts Brights Mauve

Stamps:        Stamp Out Cute Music, Picture Show Dancing Couple,

                            text from Hero Arts Find Joy

Inks:               VersaMark, Hero Black, Wink of Stella Clear

Emb Powder:          Vippies Transcendence, Judikins Black Diamond, Ranger

                                      Embossing Tinsel Snowflake

Colored Pencils:     Inktense Amber, Baked Earth, Dusky Purple,

                                     Red Violet, Prisma Peach Beige

Dies:              Spellbinders Rectangles Two, Radiant Rectangles,

                          Verve Flourished Trim

Doo Dads:    Crystals, Wink of Stella Clear

Aged To Perfection

This one is another Blue Ribbon winner . . . Included in the time-worn aspects of this layout, are some glimmer and shine –  because a life well lived ought to have plenty of glimmer and shine, don’t you think? 

After I thought the card was finished, I wondered if the curly twig should have been gilded.  My husband said to leave it as it was, but I am still debating over the idea.  

Some cards are just never done . . .

Cardstock:               Marco’s Jute, Bazzill Pinecone, Generic Dark

                                     Brown scrap

Stamps:                    Earthtone Tree

Inks:                           Distress Brushed Corduroy, Walnut Stain,

                                     Antique Linen, Adirondack Color Wash Mushroom,

                                     ColorBox Gold, Tattered Angels Gold Glimmer Mist,

                                     Spica Gold pen, Pilot Gold marker

Colored Pencils:     Inktense Fern, Hot Red, Tangerine

Emb Powder:          Ranger Gold

Dies:                          Papertrey Ink Angled Labels

Stencil:                      Tim Holtz Speckles, The Crafter’s Workshop

                                     Mini Branches

Emb Paste:              Dreamweaver Translucent

Doo Dads:                Twig

Happy Mother's Day

This one was a Red Ribbon winner at the Fair: 

While on my way to achieve one creative result, I got sidetracked and found myself happily on the way to another . . .

. . . the snow-topped distant hills were actually the edge of a previous project.  I have no memory of what the original piece finally turned out to be, but the leftover scrap was so pretty that it wound up being a major feature on this card.

MORAL:  never, ever, ever throw anything out! 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rainforest, Beckett Iceberg, Generic Vellum

Stamps:        Alias Smith & Row Filigree Border, Impression Obsession

                         “Happy Mother’s Day”, Hero Arts Friends Background

Inks:               Distress Stains Peeled Paint, Broken China, ColorBox 
                           Frost White, Perfect Pearls mist

Emb Powder:  Judikins Opaque White

Punch:          EK Success Butterfly

Doo Dads:    Pearls

Ties That Bind

This one was a Blue Ribbon winner:

While neckties are the traditional Father’s Day gift, it’s hard for me to believe that most guys are thrilled to get them.  So I thought it would be great to have a little fun with this traditional gift idea . . .

 . . . of course, “Ties that bind” also means the bonds that family members can forge, and who better to do that than the head of the household?

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, watercolor paper, Black scrap

Stamps:        Studio G “Happy Father’s Day”, Vest from Fred Mullett

                          Free Range Rubber set 006, “Here’s to ties that bind . . .”

                          typed with Elf font

Inks:               Hero Arts Black, Distress Old Paper, Brushed Corduroy

Dies/Punches:  Wplus 9 Tie Die, Curtain Rod from the JustRite Charms set

Emb Folders:    Cuttlebug Argyle

Doo Dads:    Glossy Accents, mini wire hanger, colored pearls, buttons,

                          deckled scissors

Eat Your Veggies

Today begins a nine-post series on my annual adventure at the NJ State Fair.  This year, I submitted nine cards and was thrilled to win ten ribbons:  six Firsts, three Seconds, and for the frosting on the cake, a Best in Show for one of the Firsts!  The categories in which I entered were Birthday, Baby, Holiday, Wedding, Anniversary, and Other.

Here's a pic with all of my satin glory . . .

Now on to the lineup . . .

This card was submitted to two magazines and rejected by both of them.  OK . . . I can take it.  Onward and upward to Plan B:  submit to the NJ State Fair . . . 

. . . where it promptly won a Blue Ribbon.  Humph – so there!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Carrot Cake, Leapfrog, Rain Forest, Beckett

                          Iceberg, watercolor paper

Stamps:         Whipper Snapper Designs Carrot Trio, SU’s Itty Bitty

                          Backgrounds, text from A Stamp in the Hand Veggie Set      

Inks:               ColorBox Black, Distress Markers Spiced Marmalade,

                         Dried Marigold, Worn Lipstick, Barn Door, Peeled Paint,

                         Ancient Page Coal, Gelly Roll White pen

Emb Powder:  Judikins Detail Black, PaperTrey Ink Fresh Snow

Dies/Punches: Punch Bunch Tiny flowers, Spellbinders Ribbon Tag

                             Trio Two, Memory Box Vegetable Border                  

Dream Big

 I just got a card from my brother which had a terrific color scheme: chocolate, light gray, orange and white.  Sounds a little strange, perhaps, yet the reality is anything but.  So I dashed downstairs and put together a card with the same colors . . .

I thought that it would look neat to have the webbing on the dream catcher be a metallic gold, but that didn’t work at all – looked sleazy, in fact.  So I tried to cover it up with a dark brown alcohol maker.  Guess what?  Despite marketing claims to the contrary, alcohol markers do not cover up absolutely everything.  Nonetheless, my beleaguered webbing went from gold to copper in a sort of reverse process of alchemy and I’m quite happy with the results . . .

Cardstock:               Bazzill Smoky, Neenah Solar White

Stamps:                    PSX Dream Catcher, Frog’s Whiskers Straight

                                     & Narrow, Technique Junkies Simple Sentiments

Inks:                           Adirondack Espresso, Terra Cotta, Vivid Butterscotch

Emb Powder:          Vippies Transcendence

Colored Pencils:    Prisma Orange, White

Dies:                        Quickutz Feathers , AccuCut Title Blocks 2

Doo Dads:               Jute twine, deckled scissors, Uni Ball Gold pen,

                                    Bic Marker Woodsy Brown

Play, Explore, Learn

Since tomorrow is my husband’s birthday, that means it’s time to get out some of my chess-themed stamps and see what happens . . .

The layout on this one took some pondering.  I was fine with the colors, the splotchy background and the line of chess pieces, but couldn't figure out how I could work in the checkerboard . . . way too big.  But that's what they invented scissors for – to cut things down to a size we can handle!  Once the idea of a frame border arrived on the scene, everything fell into place . . . with a little help from some glue, of course.

Cardstock:   Watercolor paper, Generic Textured Black, Bazzill Horizon

Stamps:        Stampers Anonymous Chess Pieces, Starving Artistamps

  Positive Words: “Play, Explore, Learn”

Inks:               Distress Brushed Corduroy, Vintage Photo, Weathered

                         Wood, ColorBox Black

Emb Powder:  Judikins Detail Black

Stencil:          Delta Checks and Dots      

Doo Dads:    Dark Brown eyelets 

Emb Paste:  USArt Quest Light 101 Artist's Cement

Beautiful In Its TIme

Surprise . . . More feathers!  I don’t think I’ll ever run out of ways to use such lovely  images . . .

I tried using Ranger’s Frosted Crystal EP over the background texture stamp but it barely shows – even in real life.  I need to experiment to find out the best way to showcase this beautiful embossing powder.  Possibly on a darker image?

One happy surprise is that the camera actually picked up some of the glints from the crushed glass background.  I love the glassy clear look and am hoping it isn’t too risky to use it:  after covering with a sheet of paper, I firmly seated the glass bits into the random dots left over from the tape runner, and then brushed like crazy to get rid of anything that wasn’t anchored down.  This card is for a grownup – probably not a good idea to give it to a child . . .

Cardstock:               Bazzill Mud Puddle, Neenah Solar White

Stamps:                   Gotcha Images Texturized, Starving Artistamps

                                      Feather stamp from the Altered Stitches Set,

                                      Goods Stamps Stamp Goods Large Feather,

                                      Unknown Small Feather, Stampin “Everything

                                      in its time . . .”

Inks:                           Distress Old Paper, Pumice Stone, Weathered Wood,

                                       Bundled Sage, ColorBox Frost White

Emb Powder:          Ranger Frosted Crystal, Judikins Opaque White

Dies:                          Dee’s Distinctively Lattice Two,

Doo Dads:                Glass glitter, deckled scissors, Perfect Pearls mist

A Leafy Birthday

Anyone out there remember (or still own) the original Sizzix press-style die cutting machine?  It’s so easy to use – no complicated sandwiches, and their dies cut beautifully every time.  I have quite a collection of them and am really happy to give them a good workout . . . this one is the Jelly Frame . . .

As this card was for the July birthday of our grandaughter, I went to town with summery Distress colors.  These were smooshed on an acrylic block, spritzed twice with water, and stamped.  For extra texture looks, heat dry and then stamp again with what’s left on the block.  You’ll get instant splots and dots of interesting color variations.  Easy peasy!

Cardstock:               Papers by Catherine White, Generic White, watercolor

                                     paper

Stamps:                    Stampin’ Up Happy Birthday

Inks:                          Distress Dusty Concord, Mowed Lawn, Mustard

                                      Seed, Salty Ocean, Wild Honey

Emb Powder:           Stampendous Shabby White, Stamp A Mania

                                     Desert Evening

Dies:                         Sizzix Jelly Frame, Die-Namics Layered Leaves,

                                      Prima Donna Petals, Tim Holtz Tattered Banners

Doo Dads:                Inkssentials Enamel Accents White