Wildflower

 

A lovely soft grey and white . . . 

 . . . with a pop of burnished orange for some earl

Note to self:  use more grey!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill White, Staples Grey, Nicole #100 Bristol           

Stamps:       Purple Daisy Sand, A1 Stamps Queen Ann

Inks:             Distress Pumice Stone, Mustard Seed, Wild Honey,

                     Barn Door

Emb Pwdr:   Vippie’s Transcendence

Dies:            Memory Box Pinpoint Leaf Plate, Gina K Rectangle

                     Small Set, Tim Holtz Wildflowers set, Lil Inkers Stitched

                     Mats Rectangles                       

Doo Dads:    Viva Pearl Pen Cream       

Thank You

 

The Holidays 2020 issue of RubberStampMadness will feature an article on Mandalas written by Yours Truly.  In preparing the article, I decided to have some fun making one myself . . . 

While Mandalas are very intricate in design, you may find them easier to do than you'd expect.  It's all in the tools: you will need a positioner such as the Misti, plus a simple template that will ensure your stamp impressions are placed correctly.  Most Mandala designs involve making eight impressions but there are several templates out there that enable you to make twelve and even sixteen impressions.

 

Mandalas are usually made with individual stamps which require eight impressions for the most common shape.  But Innovator Nellie Snellin has come up with a stamp that has 25% of the images already molded into the polymer.  That means you need to stamp only four times instead of eight - a real timesaver!

 Cardstock:   Bazzill Buckeye, Nicole #100 Bristol       

Stamps:       Nellie Snellin Mandala 2

Inks:             Hero Black, Stampin Up Basic Brown

Dies:            Savvy Thank You Banner, Spellbinders Hemstitch

                     Squares, Banner Basics Three, EK Success Paper Shaper

                     punch Corner

Stencil:        Nellie Snellin Precision Circle Stencil

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Black, Clear           

Happy

 

Jennifer McGuire did two videos on gatefold cards recently (Here and Here) and I admit to getting well and truly hooked . . .

The photography won't be easy to do on these but it'll be worth the effort.  Stay tuned for more examples up ahead - these are fun to do and very addictive!

PS:  Google has well and truly screwed up the process for adding blogs online.  Therefore, my carefully done formatting has been messed up and worse, some links may not work.  I am learning the workarounds for their unnecessary meddling with what was once a very straightforward process.  My apologies for the chaos in the meantime.

 

Cardstock:   Wausau Blueberry, Strathmore Ultimate White, Generic

                     Light Blue

Dies:            Tim Holtz Intricate Lace, Papertrey Ink Super Succulents

                     set “Happy”, Darice Nesting Scallop Hearts, Altenew

                     Dotted Starburst, Cheery Lynn Tiny Flower Kit     

Doo Dads:    Pearls, Nuvo Glitter Gloss, 1/8” White satin ribbon       

Happy Birthday

 

Black, White, Green, Kraft, a pop of Terra Cotta, and some texture to back things up . . .

 

The succulent leaves got propped up with foam dots while the pot bases were glued down.  This gives some dimension without causing difficulties in the mail.  As for my coloring skills, they have improved but I've still got a ways to go.  At least I'm not afraid to watercolor anymore!

 

 Cardstock:   Papers by Catherine White, Marcos Jute, Strathmore

                     Ultimate White

Stamps:       Hero Succulent Stamp and Cut, Stampin Up Itty Bitty

                     Backgrounds, Stampin Up Happy Birthday

Inks:             Hero Black

Colorants:    Inktense Burnt Orange, Zig Real Brush Mid-Green,

                     Olive Green, Green Grey, Pale Dawn Grey, Dark Grey

Dies:            Hero Succulent Stamp and Cut, Mama Elephant

                     Embellished Tag, Simon Says Sentiment Labels                       

Emb Fldr:     Spellbinders Blistered

Doo Dads:    May Arts Jute, Candi Blackjacks  

Autumn

Burgundy, Kraft, and rich yellow - wonderful Fall colors for this Guy Card!

I love to tie fibers around cardstock layers but getting the tension right can be tricky.  So I like to simply wrap them around to the back and tape the ends down.  Then I just use a glue dot to fasten down whatever bow or knot embellishment I want to finish the look.

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Generic Burgundy Linen, Strathmore

                     #100 Bristol

Inks:             Distress Brushed Corduroy, Mustard Seed, Aged

                     Mahogany

Dies:            Lil Inkers Stitched Mats: Rectangles, Pretty Pink Posh

                     Stitched Foliage, Carta Bella Hello Fall Set: Autumn     

Emb Fldr:     Taylored Expressions Weathered

Doo Dads:    May Arts Jute, Gesso White          

The Life

For Sympathy cards, I gravitate towards softer colors than I normally use . . .

One of the easiest and quickest ways to achieve that is with Distress Stains.  Here, I white-embossed an overall floral pattern and then daubed on three colors in loose rows.  I misted with water a couple of times to keep it soft, and finished with a mist of Perfect Pearls overall.

Cardstock:   Bazzill Jacaranda, Strathmore #100 Bristol     

Stamps:       Judikins Origami Background, Wordsworth The Life Given

Inks:             ColorBox Frost White

Waterclrs:    Distress Stain Peeled Paint, Faded Jeans, Dusty Concord

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger White

Dies:            Lil Inkers Stitched Mats: Squares, Rectangles               

Doo Dads:   Morex Ribbon Light Blue, Perfect Pearls Mist Pearl     

Yum Yum

One of my dearest friends is a cat person, so when I saw this image of a very contented feline, I had to get it and use him on her card . . .

I thought that one explanation for his happy expression could be due to a nearby stash of fish . . . hence the tasty garland overhead!  For some added fun, I decided that a pair of tassels would add a little touch of whimsy.  

Bon appétit! 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Desert Sun, Chiffon, Strathmore #100 Bristol Vellum,

                     Generic scrap Dull Silver  

Stamps:       Rubbernecker Cat

Inks:             Distress Antique Linen, Wild Honey, Fossilized Amber,

                     Tea Dye

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Rubbernecker Cat, Impression Obsession Mid-size Frame,

                     Elizabeth Craft Ribbons 1, Memory Box Aquarium Fish,

                     Spellbinder Banner Basics Three, DieVersions

                     Hint of Lime (text)            

A Weed

As with yours truly, my next door neighbor is a passionate gardener.  Bob does beautiful work in his condo-limited space, so a horticulturally-themed design is just right for his birthday card . . .

A rainbow of flower colors is crisply anchored by white, black, and green, and the fun sentiment pretty much says it all:  "A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. Doug Larson"

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rain Forest, Strathmore Ultimate White, Nicole Black

Stamps:       The Artful Stamper Field Flower, Motivet A Weed is a

                     Plant, Stampin’ Up Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Inks:             ColorBox Black, Frost White

Colorants:    Inktense Pencils Poppy Red, Tangerine, Golden Yellow,

                     Apple Green, Dark Aquamarine, Red Violet

Waterclrs:    Zig Real Brush Carmine Red, Peach Pink,  Orange,

                     Yellow, Deep Green, Cobalt Blue, Violet

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black, Hero White

Dies:            Lil Inkers Stitched Mats: Rectangles, Simon Says

                     Sentiment Labels            

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents Black        

Happy Birthday

As my stash contains no sports images that would appeal to a 12 year old boy, I figured a sparkly cake might be a good stand-in for my favorite pre-teener . . .

I die cut the cake in three different colors and covered the back with tape so that I could easily add the inlays taken from the two other die cuts.  Inlaying the design went faster than you might think.  The sentiment was stamped onto a little flag and mounted on a silvered toothpick.  A few sparkly bits and I think we're done . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Generic Blue, Yellow, White, Orange     

Stamps:       Stampin Up Happy Birthday

Inks:             Distress Stormy Sky

Colorants:    Pilot Marker Silver

Dies:            Lil Inker Stitched Mats: Rectangles, DieVersions Cut the

                     Cake, Savvy Cake Plates, Impress Candle, Impression

                     Obsession Flags                 

Doo Dads:    Metalix Glitter Moondust