Every Mountaintop

During a recent blog hop, I was enchanted with Kittie Caracciolo's extraordinary layout here using Kraft cardstock and a single accent in dark brown.

I loved the look and decided to go with a similar color scheme . . .

This makes a perfect guy card, don't you think?

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Wausau Firecracker Red

Stamps:        B&J’s Art Stamps Old Adobe, Our Daily Bread “Every 

                            mountaintop . . .”

Inks:               Gina K Charcoal Brown

Emb Powder:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Impression Obsession Birch Tree, Spellbinders Fleur de Lis 

                           Squares

Emb Folder: Spellbinders Bricks & Bark           

Winter

My niece gifted me with a wonderful image of an evergreen tree this last Christmas and I really loved its peaceful look . . .

 . . . it's well suited for the sympathy card this became. 

I recently got a terrific deal on a set of hinge dies from a favorite company that, sadly, has gone out of business.  I love the look of hinges and as this set has five different styles, you'll be seeing a lot of them in future.  Fair warning . . .

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm

Stamps:        Hero Winter Evergreen, Stampin’ Up “Winter”

Inks:               VersaFine Olympia Green

Emb Powder:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Avery Elle Wonky Stitches, Elizabeth Hardware 1:

                           Hinges, Tim Holtz Labels

Emb Folder: Sheena Snowfall   

Doo Dads:    Bazzill brads Green, Gelly Roll Clear Star

Blessed Easter Morn

While the cross is the symbol that is most commonly associated with the Christian faith, it is actually the empty tomb that defines us . . .

 . . . without that empty cave, Christianity would never have grown to fill every corner of the planet.  Under increasing persecution – even in America – Christians need to remember to be of good cheer, for He has indeed overcome the world.

Cardstock:   Marcos #110 Jute, Gina K’s Charcoal Brown

Stamps:        B&J’s Art Stamps Cave, Stamp Zia Quilt Stitches, Studio

                           G “Blessed Easter morn . . .”

Inks:               Gina K’s Charcoal Brown, ColorBox Gold

Emb Powder:   WOW Clear Matte Dull, Ranger Gold

Dies:              Hero Palm Fancy, Spellbinders Crosses Two

Happy!

Full Disclosure:  this is quite possibly the ugliest card I have ever made . . .

When I started this blog, I decided to be up front with all of my attempts – warts and all. So here's my latest wart.  My usual method of dealing with layouts that just aren't going well is to just keep stumbling along . . . the theory being that maybe I'll get lucky and find some clever doo dad or technique that will lift me out of the hole I've dug myself into.

Didn't happen this time.  But I DID find something new to try that saved this layout from being a 100% failure.  The stencil work done in the lower half was done by spraying the stencil – not the cardstock – and then laying it down over the cardstock.  The results are imprecise and work well when you want a less rigid, more random look.

And now I'm signing off – I cannot bear to look at this thing any longer.  Better luck next time!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Santillo, The Paper Cut White Matte Coat,

                           Watercolor paper

Stamps:        Hero To/From Petals

Inks:               Adirondack Color Wash Terra Cotta, Stamp Zia Chroma

                           Sprays Moss, Citron, Lava, ColorBox Frost White, Distress

                           Peeled Paint

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White

Dies:              DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frame, McGill punch

                           Starburst

Stencil:          The Crafter’s Workshop Mini Chevron Tiles

Doo Dads:    White brad, USArt Quest Effectz Gold Essence

Shamrock

A little green, some hammered silver, and a piece of Irish "lace" . . .

 . . . faith and begorra: it's St Patrick's Day!  Top 'o the mornin' to ye!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Strathmore Soft White, Generic Dull Silver

Stamps:        Above the Mark Sonnets, Studio G St Patrick Words

Inks:               Hero Black, Distress Hickory Smoke, Peeled Paint

Emb Folder: Stampin’ Up Square Lattice

Dies:              Frantic Stamper Fancy Frames #1, OR Marianne Anja,

                           Nellie’s Photo Frames, QuicKutz Shamrock, Impression

                           Obsession Shamrock, Simon Says Sketchy Banners  

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Silver

Wishing You the Best

I can't stay away from the fun of using Copics on vellum and then spritzing with an alcohol mist . . .

 . . . there will be numerous posts on this technique, so get ready.  If you've missed the simple technique I posted earlier, here it is:

1. Use two or three Copic markers and scribble on vellum. Overlap the edges

         to prevent straight lines.

2. Mist with two or three spritzes of alcohol.

3. Let dry, or dab with a brush to soften.

So simple, and hard to screw up!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Simon, The Paper Cut White Matte Coat, Stampin’

                           Up Vellum White

Stamps:        Hero Wildflower Garden, Simon Says Tilted Banner Sayings

Inks:               ColorBox Frost White, Ancient Page Deep Harbor, Distress

                           Brushed Corduroy

Markers:        Copic E37 Sepia, B26 Cobalt Blue, BG13 Mint Green

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White

Dies:              Memory Box Fresh Daisies, Simon Says Stitched Mats

                           Rectangles, Tilted Banners

Happy Day

I've always loved strong colors paired with white . . .

 This layout features my new discovery with stencils:  the conventional way involves laying down the stencil over the cardstock and then spraying or sponging on the color through the openings.  This time, I prepared the background with two colors sprayed on and dried.  Then I sprayed the stencil with the third color and laid it down over the prepared cardstock.  Am very happy with the random and imprecise look!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Santillo, Champion Snow Day, The Paper Cut

                           watercolor paper, White Matte Coat

Stamps:        Hero Etched Flower with Stems

Inks:               Adirondack Color Wash Butterscotch, Terra Cotta, Pesto,

                           ColorBox Frost White

Emb Powder:   Judikins Opaque White

Dies:              DieNamics Pierced Rectangle Frame, Simon Says

                           “Oh Happy Day”

Stencil:          The Crafter’s Workshop Mini Chevron Tiles

Doo Dads:    Tulip Hot Fix Jewels

The Happiest

Vellum has a lovely misty quality to it that can be used in myriad ways for special effects.  Lately, I've found that gluing it to a piece of solid white cardstock helps to make the stamped image and the inked background stand out more . . .

  . . . yet it does keep some of that subtle, misty look.  

Of course, what the camera chooses to share with you may not have much resemblance to real life . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Cheddar, Stampin’ Up Vellum White

Stamps:        Stampington Button Mums, Simon Says Sketchy Banner

                           Greetings: “Sending you the happiest”

Markers:        Copic G46 Mistletoe, Y17 Golden Yellow, YR04 Chrome

                           Orange, Wink of Stella Clear

Inks:               ColorBox Frost White, Distress Mustard Seed

Emb Powder:   Stamp Zia White Sparkle, Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Lil Inker Stitched Mats Rectangles, Spellbinders Basic Lattice,                                  Memory Box butterflies Kaleidoscope, Moonlight

It's Your Birthday

As should be obvious to anyone who has seen as few as three of my blog posts,  texture is what truly floats my boat . . .

This card base features a new embossing folder that I may as well keep handy on my table and never put it away.  It just arrived in the mail yesterday and I've already used it three times.  The colored layer has some sponged white gesso which freshens up the dark colors.  After the gesso dried, I did some stenciling with translucent embossing paste.  This provides a subtle, non-intrusive, watermark-style texture that works well with just about any layout.

A couple of white-embossed feathers, a jute knot, a stitched text box, and I think we're done with this tribute to texture.  On to the next one!

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute

Stamps:        Stampin’ Up “They say it’s your birthday”

Inks:               Distress Pine Needles, Dusty Concord, ColorBox Frost White

Emb Powder:   Stampendous Shabby White

Dies:              Lil Inkers Stitched Mats: Rectangles, Spellbinders Feathers

Emb Folder: Taylored Expressions Weathered

Stencil:          The Crafters Workshop Mini Tile Texture

Doo Dads:    Faber Castell Gel Medium, Liquitex Gesso White, Jute knot