BOO

 A lot of this layout was inspired by a recent blog I saw.  I loved the pop of white and orange against such a dark background . . .

The bats were actually die cut from a dark navy blue metallic background because I didn't have any suitable cardstock in plain black.  After brayering black ink over the metallic cardstock, I was glad to see that while the color changed to the black I wanted, the metallic aspects glistened through the ink.  The bats changed from flat to a mild shimmer that made them much more interesting.  Nice surprise!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Ash, Strathmore #110 Bristol, Generic scraps

                     Orange, Brown, Black, Metallic Blue           

Stamps:       Judikins Swirls & Curls

Inks:             Gina K Amalgam Black

Dies:            DieNamics Pinking Edge, Frantic Stamper Open Borders,

                     QuicKutz Bats, Dies to Die For Pumpkin Patch, Frantic

                     Stamper Scary Words: BOO               

Doo Dads:    Wink of Stella Black           

Memories

My dear friend Eleanor lost her husband  late last year.  Speaking from personal experience, I can attest to the fact that the first year is very much the hardest.  Being mindful of a dearly loved one's passing can be a comfort, so naturally, a card was called for . . .

 

The original design was for a single layered card front, but I can never resist adding more dimension.  The leaf die set included the leaf veins, so I covered them with my favorite textured embossing powder and that made the design much more interesting.

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Rain Forest, Coventry Rag #140 White 

Inks:              Distress Barn Door, Wild Honey, Peeled Paint,

                      Brushed Corduroy, ColorBox Gold

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold

Dies:             Mama Elephant Femme Frames, DieNamics Layered

                      Leaves, Elizabeth Designs Words 4: Memories                 

Doo Dads:    Sparkle & Sprinkle glitter Fantasy Gold, Viva Paper

                     Pen Gold

Stand Tall

I have mixed feelings about this card . . .

 . . . I love the background but the rest of the elements don't work together as well as they should.  So it's back to the drawing board for another attempt.   Sigh . . .

 Cardstock:   Nicole Licorice, Generic Scrap Green, White     

Stamps:       MJ Barber Chevron Solid, Technique Junkies Stand

                     Tall (text)     

Inks:             VersaMark, Distress Mustard Seed, Rusty Hinge,

                     ColorBox Black

Emb Pwdr:  PSE Ochre Tapestry, Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Creative Dies Mehndi Collection (sun), Amy Design

                     Wild Animals (tree, birds), Memory Box Giraffe Trio     

Harmony

The original plan for this one was to have a very subtle background topped with a stenciled design using crackle paste . . .

Even with the use of two warm colors and the stamped text, the result was so blah that my plans for subtle got scrapped and I went to town with a sponge dauber and a lot more color.  I think it was a good call as the added color emphasized the crackled stencil paste and showed a great deal more texture - a look I love.

 Then without using any ink,  I randomly sprinkled on my favorite coarse-grained gold embossing powder and heated the panel from underneath to keep from sending the grains flying.  Frankly, I'm very happy with the way this turned out!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Hershey, Strathmore #100 Bristol  

Stamps:       The Moon Rose Scrip Background, Starving Artistamps

                     Positive Words: Harmony

Inks:             Distress Vintage Photo, Mustard Seed, Rusty Hinge,

                     Brushed Corduroy, ColorBox Gold

Emb Pwdr:  Stampendous Aged Gold, Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Lil Inker Stitched Rectangles, Memory Box Eva Stem             

Stencil:        Dina Wakely Jungle

Doo Dads:    Ranger Texture Paste Crackle     

Day to Celebrate

Along with thousands of others, I'm having a great time with the new Slimline cards.  The dimensions are vastly different from the usual A2 sized card and this is a good thing . . . never hurts to shake things up once in awhile and give yourself a challenge! 

I used the still-new Life Changing brushes to stencil on some color and I continue to be thrilled and amazed at the great results these brushes provide.  Color goes on powdery-smooth with no splotching and I find myself looking for every opportunity to use them.

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Simon, Lagoon, Strathmore #100 Bristol           

Stamps:       Hero Day to Celebrate

Inks:             Hero Shadow Field Greens, Pool, ColorBox Black

Colorants:    Studio Black Gesso

Emb Pwdr:  Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Rubbernecker Slimline Deckle, Pink Fresh Slim Stitched

                     Rectangle set, Kwan Crafts Double Sewing Thread (label),

                     Papertrey Ink Bitty Button Stacks, Memory Box Cascadia

                     Butterfly          

Stencil:        Club Scrap Fern, Simon Says Falling Snow

Doo Dads:    Ranger Texture Paste Transparent Matte, American

                     Crafts Jute Blue, Gelly Roll Clear Star           

Home Stink Home

My adorable friend Vangie's compassion extends to all living things and she cannot bring herself to kill even a stink bug.  She says, "They just want to be warm, so I put them in our laundry room because it shares space with the furnace."  OMG! 

Because we don't go the serious route for birthday presents, I made her a stink bug house to hang on the laundry room wall . . .

 

The doorways are open at each end in case the little critters actually want to take up residence.  The windows have acetate panes which make them look quite realistic and I thought some brightly colored flowers would keep things perky.  This was a bizarre idea for sure, but also one that is going to bring on a lot of laughs!

 

Cardstock:   Strathmore #100 Bristol, Scraps: Red, Yellow, Green,

                     Blue, Brown   

Dies:            Wodwad 3D House, DieNamics Accent It Labels & Tabs,

                     DieVersions font Hint of Lime, Punch Bunch Flowers,

                     Cottage Cutz Nested Stitched Scallop Squares     

Doo Dads:    Chipboard Hanging Panel, acetate         

Thank you

When stenciling with embossing paste over an already inked background, I've learned that it's probably best to use waterproof ink.  Otherwise, the wet paste will wick up the color you've laid down . . .

In this case, I simply dabbed on more color to make it look like this was the effect I'd wanted all along.  Sneaky, yes?  But it worked, although I thought it needed a bit more glimmer.  So I dropped on some gold embossing powder here and there and got the look I was after.

 

 Cardstock:   Strathmore #100 Bristol     

Stamps:       Moon Rose Script Background

Inks:             Distress Brushed Corduroy, Distress Stain Antique

                     Linen, Brushed Corduroy, Tumbled Glass, ColorBox Gold

Emb Pwdr:  Distress Antique Linen, Walnut Stain, Ranger Antiquities

                     Weathered White, Stampendous Aged Gold

Dies:            Mama Elephant Femme Frames, Goodculler Stitched

                     Rectangles              

Stencil:        Dina Wakely Jungle

Doo Dads:    Ranger Texture Paste Crackle     

Love

 

This was one of those simple layouts that wasn't so simple to make happen . . . 

 . . . I spent a lot of time arranging and re-arranging things and the result always fell short of the mark.  Then I decided that a little out and out glitz was called for and thus entered the silver mirror card, along with some frosty glitter.  That seemed to do the trick - I hope you agree?

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pauly Poo, Strathmore Ultimate White, Mirri

                     Reflective Silver           

Stamps:        Hero Large Canvas Stripes,

Inks:               Distress Salty Ocean

Dies:              Impression Obsession Large Frame, Memory Box

                     Pinpoint Leaf Plate, White Lotus Four Leaf Flower,

                     Avery Elle Peace, Love, Joy set: Love      

Doo Dads:    Craftwork Cards Candi: Blackjacks         

 

Bloom

I'M BACK!!  It has been a frustrating month to try and find out why I couldn't post.  It turns out that when Google's Blogspot revamped their site, it did not recognize my browser.  After upgrading to #10, I expect to be back in business.  They made a lot of changes to my formatting so my post does not look the way I want it to.  Hopefully, I'll discover a workaround that will allow my formatting choices to prevail.  Meanwhile, let's move along . . .

One of my favorite sights is a shelf full of houseplants, so when I saw this die set, I knew it had my name on it . . .

 

Before Corona intruded, I was having fun helping a slightly more senior friend take care of her houseplants.  She has a nice collection, including several I don't have, so it's been fun learning about them.  It has been months now since I've been over there and we both miss the weekly ritual.  So I thought this arrangement of paper plants for her birthday would help tide her over.  It was a super-fun set of images to play with and I recommend it highly!

 Cardstock:   Bazzill Cinnamon Stick, Generic scrap White   

Stamps:       Hero Large Canvas Stripes, Impression Obsession

                     Wooden Plank

Inks:             VersaColor Sky Blue, VersaMark, Distress Antique Linen

Colorants:    Inktense Burnt Orange

Waterclrs:    Zig Real Brush Wine Red, Geranium Red, Scarlet Red,

                     Yellow, Light Green, Deep Green, Cornflower Blue, Violet,

                     Beige, Dark Brown

Dies:            Cottage Cutz Shelf with Plants, Lil Inkers Stitched

                     Mats Rectangles, Nellie’s Photo Frames, Frantic

                     Stamper Bloom                  

Doo Dads:    Viva Pearl Pen Ice White