Bloom

As it's been awhile since I've put navy blue, green, and white together, I thought it was time to put that crisp combination to work again . . . 

This layout is another collaboration of coordinating stamps, stencils, and dies.  I shall forever be grateful to the creative minds that thought up this partnership of easy-to-use tools.

 

Cardstock:   Strathmore Ultimate White

Stamps:       PinkFresh Sweet Friend Floral

Inks:             Distress Oxide Wild Honey, Mustard Seed, Color Box

                     Cerulean, Chalk French Blue, Black, VersaColor

                     Green Tea, Olive,

Emb Pwdr:  Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            PinkFresh Sweet Friend Floral, Mama Elephant

                     Botanic Envelopes, Lil Inkers Stitched Mats Rectangles          

Stencil:        PinkFresh Sweet Friend Floral

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll Clear, Kat Scrappiness Sparkling Clear Droplets

Love

The background on this piece is a leftover section from the card I posted three days ago on Monday.  The coloring was going well, so I made a bigger piece than I needed in order to use it on another card . . .

 Some gold embossing paste changed the look completely while the two flowers acknowledge the exceedingly happy marriage of two incredible people throughout the last twenty one years.  A very Happy Anniversary to Allan and Donna!

 Cardstock:   Bazzill Bling Puppy Love   

Stamps:       Impression Obsession “All things grow with love”

Inks:             Distress Stains Pumice Stone, Peeled Paint, Dusty

                     Concord, Tarnished Brass, Encore Purple

Emb Pwdr:  Powder Keg Eggplant

Dies:            PinkFresh Slim Stitched Rectangles, Goodculler Stitched

                     Rectangles, Spellbinder Bitty Blossoms, Spiral Blossom

                     Three, Unknown Branch                  

Stencil:        Finnabair Manuscript

Doo Dads:    Dreamweaver Embossing Paste Metallic Gold, Foamiran crafting foam  

Soar

Stamping artist Debbie Hughes always has such great ideas for applying color.  Her latest involves applying several layers of light color, drying between layers, and then inserting the panel into a 3D embossing folder . . .

 

To emphasize the embossed pattern, I dragged a white pigment pad over the raised design and then spattered with a little watered-down gouache.  I decided to sprinkle on a little glitter on the background and a bit on the butterfly.

 My results are nowhere near as pretty as hers, but I'm happy with the technique nonetheless and I look forward to trying out many versions of this idea. 

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Bling Puppy Love, Marcos #140 MultiMedia

                     Aquarelle     

Inks:             Distress Stain Pumice Stone, Peeled Paint, Dusty Concord,

                     Brass, Hero Unicorn

Colorants:    Winsor & Newton Designers Gouache Zinc White

Emb Pwdr:  Stampendous Shabby White

Dies:            Memory Box Stitched Rectangle Trimmings, Butterflies:

                     Vivienne, Darla, DieVersions font Noodles        

Emb Fldr:    Gemini Regency Swirls

Imagine, Discover, Treasure

As one who is not skilled in coloring, I am everlastingly grateful for the arrival of the Life Changing brushes, layering stencils, Distress Oxide inks, and coordinating stamps and dies . . .  it's quite a bundle and worth every penny.

 . . . the coloring results are always terrific and make me look more talented than I really am!  I am always up for that.  The layering stencils are a major time-saver and enable anyone to do detail coloring that would otherwise be difficult to accomplish.  Oxide inks were made to be blended and they do that better than any other ink I've tried.  As for the brushes, their results are always perfect - they leave a very smooth and powder-pristine surface that I could never achieve otherwise.

The order of creation is a little different than usual:  I did the coloring first and then overstamped with the matching image.  This gave me crisp edges that were a solid black.  The main motif on this card came together so fast that I decided to have some fun by beading the centers of the larger flowers.  I think I like this card!

 

Cardstock:   Core’dinations Nostalgic Grays set, Strathmore #90

                     Multi Media

Stamps:       Pink Fresh Floral Notes, Starving Artistamps Mini

                     Positive Words

Inks:             ColorBox Black, Distress Oxide Shabby Shutters,

                     Peeled Paint, Hickory Smoke, Aged Mahogany

Emb Pwdr:  Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Pink Fresh Floral Notes, Slim Stitched Rectangles                

Stencil:        Pink Fresh Floral Notes

Doo Dads:    Inkssentials Enamel Accents Black        

Love

WOO HOO!  New technique!  Well, new to me, anyway.  It involves vellum's special talent, a stylus, a stencil, and a little bit of your time . . .

Some Assembly Required (SAR) is a highly creative company with an eye for the intricate.  Captivated by vellum's unique ability to change from sheer to opaque white when pressure is applied, SAR Owner Sandy Jackson has come up with a boatload of lovely designs that require only a 1mm stylus and a stencil to bring them to life.

On this anniversary card for my brother Gordy and sister-in-law Sally - the letters "G", "S", the dotted backgrounds, and the flower were all done by pressing the tip of the stylus into the vellum which was placed over an SAR stencil.  The vellum can be colored afterwards to enhance the effect in open areas of the design.  I did that here, using a white Prisma pencil over the large letters and the little flower.

As I didn't have a stencil with small enough letters, I traced over an alphabet die to create the "Love" word.  Worked great!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Lagoon, Vellum Aqua       

Dies:            Rubbernecker Slimline Deckle, Rounded Squares,

                     DieVersions Font Noodles, Impression Obsession

                     Small Bow          

Colorants:    PrismaColor White

Stencil:        Some Assembly Required Welcome Home Alphabet:  

                     “G”, “S”, Flower

Doo Dads:    Pearls

Howard

Today it was time to say goodbye to a beloved pet . . .

Howard was a happy lifelong resident at the home of my neighbors Richard and Vangi  and because he was so well loved, I wanted to get this card to them as quickly as possible.  So I made it in only an hour.  Hope it doesn't look like it . . .

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Strathmore Ultimate White, Sraps Green, Black 

Stamps:       Simon Says Pawprints on our hearts: “Forever in our hearts”,

                     Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             Distress Black Soot, Hickory Smoke, Brushed Corduroy,

                     ColorBox Black

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            DieVersions font Noodles, A Hint of Lime, JustRite Charm

                     Dies Square, Impression Obsession Cat Set, Cottage Cutz

                     Shelf with Plants, Lil Inkers Stitched Mats Rectangles,

                      Recollections punch Cat’s Paw               

All the Best

Three lovely layered leaves from my new leaf set against a die cut brick background . . . 

 . . . plus a little glitter to set things a-sparkle!  Perhaps this is a good card for a guy, do you think?

 

Cardstock:   Aquarelle Multimedia #100, Strathmore Mixed Media #90,

                     Hanko Echizen Gold

Colorants:    Lindy’s Stamp Gang Magical Time Travel Teal,

                     Ponderosa Pines Olive, Luscious Lime

Dies:            AlteNew Tropical Leaf Mix, Ellentina Whimsical Brick,

                       Impression Obsession “All the Best”                 

Doo Dads:    Sparkle ‘n Sprinkle Fantasy Gold 

Thanks a Bunch!

With my beloved dentist retiring after taking immaculate care of me for the last 36 years, the occasion certainly warrants a card . . .

One colorful leaf against a field of neutral textures seems to work in this layout.  A tiny bit of glitter and a few pearls added some sparkle to the very organic design.

Happy Retirement, Don - you deserve the nicest one possible!

 

 Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm, Marcos Jute, Scrap White, Black         

Stamps:       Elizabeth Craft Banner Sentiments: “Thanks a Bunch!”

Inks:             VersaMark, ColorBox Black

Colorants:    Ken Oliver Liquid Metals: Metallic Turquoise,

                     Metallic Emerald

Emb Pwdr:  Ranger Gold, Distress Black Soot

Dies:            Altenew Leaf Mix, Tim Holtz Tangled Twigs, Elizabeth

                     Craft Banners         

Emb Fldr:    Taylored Expressions Weathered

Doo Dads:    Sparkle N Sprinkle glitter Fantasy Gold, Queen &

                     Company Pearls Teal Blue

Journey

Annoying News:

Feedburner is the company that has been notifying you whenever I post a new card.  But they have just announced that they will not be providing this email service anymore.  There doesn't seem to be a backup company waiting in the wings so we bloggers are being left high and dry.  As I said, annoying.  However, I have no intention of quitting my blog.  Until I leave the planet, I will be posting every Monday and Thursday as I've done for the last nine years.  I hope you will continue to share this creative journey with me!

 

Now it's on to today's card . . .

 

My friend Noela is also a former TWA Flight Attendant and I think she's really going to enjoy this flight-themed card . . .

 

It was especially fun to work with this designer paper printed with so many familiar airport codes and journey-related text.  I think this will be a trip down Memory Lane for her - it certainly was for me!

These Concertina-style cards are hard to photograph properly but I absolutely love their interesting shape.  I think there's no limit to the many ways and themes for which this zig zag design can be decorated.  It's also a great basic shape for any recipient - young or old, male or female.  Expect to see more of these . . . 

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Light Sand, Wausau Firecracker Red, Assorted

                     Designer papers     

Stamps:       Simon Says Tilted Banner Sayings: “The best is yet

                     to come”

Inks:             VersaMark, ColorBox Cream White

Emb Pwdr:  BMuse Ruby Red, Stamp-n Stuff Ivory Pearl

Dies:            The Stamp Doctor #6 Concertina, Frantic Stamper

                     Journey, Fyore “Stitched Stamp-Edged Rectangles”,

                     Simon Says Small Planes, Memory Box Airplane

                     Adventures, Impression Obsession Plane with Banner                

Doo Dads:    Darice Hemp Cream, Metalix Glitter Moondust 

MSG:            Printworks “Happy Birthday”