Thursday, March 31, 2016

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           


Monday, March 28, 2016

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






Thursday, March 24, 2016

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

Monday, March 21, 2016

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

Thursday, March 17, 2016

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



Monday, March 14, 2016

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



Thursday, March 10, 2016

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

Monday, March 7, 2016

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

Thursday, March 3, 2016

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