Peace

 For the Ukrainian card project:

 

Cardstock:   Scrap Blue, White, Watercolor paper     

Stamps:        Stampin Up Praying for You

Inks:               Distress Mermaid Lagoon, Mowed Lawn, Broken China,

Victorian Velvet, Chipped Sapphire

Emb Pwdr:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Tim Holtz Labels, Avery Elle Peace, Love, Joy set:

“Peace”

Doo Dads:    Embroidery threads, flower punches, metal charm,

white brad        

Nature

For the Ukrainian card project:

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Jade, Strathmore Watercolor paper, Scrap Silver,

Purple, Green

Stamps:        Hero Leaf Mélange, Amuse Tree

Inks:               ColorBox Silver, Distress Dusty Concord, Pine Needles

Emb Pwdr:   B’Muse Detail Silver

Punch:          EK Success Corner Stripes

Doo Dads:    Brads Black, Floss Silver, Charms Silver

Peace

With the wretched war going on in Ukraine, it has been very gratifying to see the many ways people have stepped up to provide help, relief, and comfort.  Stamper Extraordinaire Yana Smakula is Ukrainian and is living in the Western part of the country which is mostly out of the worst of it.  She and her husband Oles – along with the dedicated help of their stateside friend Denzil Quick – have organized a supply chain to get needed clothing, food, and first aid materials to where they are most needed.  A couple of weeks ago, they began a handmade card drive in order to get encouragement to as many soldiers and first responders as possible.

So I went through my stash and re-vamped twelve cards which included three repeats.  The inside sentiments were translated into Ukrainian with the help of my Ukie friend Anna and Google.  So with the exception of my Father’s Day post, the next nine posts will feature cards for very deserving Ukrainians.  My husband was Ukrainian so I have a very special connection to this project.

In the interest of getting these sent off as quickly as possible, I will post the materials used but will likely forego my usual commentary.  So here is the first one . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Admiral, Strathmore Ultimate White       

Stamps:        Rubber Works Two Tulips

Inks:               Distress Spun Sugar, Chipped Sapphire

Emb Pwdr:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:              Avery Elle Peace, Love, Joy set: “Peace”

Thank You

In my job as a Staff Writer for RubberStampMadness magazine, I get to interview some really neat rubber artists and that process becomes the best part of the job.  For each stamper, my task is to write up a short article describing their submitted card that will appear in the next issue.  Some stampers even send me lovely bits and pieces of their work that help me to better describe their style of art. Stamper Nicole Camp sent me some lovely things and I brought out one of my favorite designs to thank her . . .

 

This is a resist method which is really easy to do:  stamp and emboss the image, and then color in the petals with a regular white crayon.  Then, sponge on the warm colors with a circular motion.  User a paper towel to gently remove any ink from the petals. 

The crayoned and embossed areas will resist the color and the rest of the cardstock will pick it up.  Easy and fun!

 

Cardstock:              Bazzill Raven, Beckett Candlelight, Generic Pumpkin

Stamps:                   Peddler's Pack Sunflower, Hero Precious Thank You

Inks:                        ColorBox Black, Distress Wild Honey, Spiced

                                 Marmalade

Emb Powder:          Judikins Detail Black

Colored Pencils:     Prisma White

Dies:                        Spellbinders Standard Circles

Emb Folder:             Cuttlebug Tiny Mesh

Doo Dads:                White stitched 3/8" Black grosgrain ribbon

Sunshine

Not exactly the results I was hoping for . . .

  . . . but I had fun anyway.  Gloria Page’s style is very different from mine which is why it appeals to me so much.  It is a chance to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself to discovering new ways of looking at things.  There are bound to be results that are less than successful, but then that’s all part of the journey, yes?

 

Cardstock:   Neenah Desert Storm, Nicole #140 Premiere Watercolor      

Stamps:        Gloria Page Get Into Nature set

Inks:               VersaFine Olympia Green, VersaMark, Distress Mustard

Seed, Wild Honey

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold

Dies:              DieVersions font Noodles            

Doo Dads:    Excel Sewing Pattern Marker, Craft-T Rub-ons Brass         

Sweet Cali Girl

Losing a beloved pet is one of the hardest of events to endure . . .

Cali Girl belonged to my dear friends and neighbors and was originally from the West Coast.  She was named for her sandy coloring as a nod to California’s sunny beaches.

Cali Girl was a sweetie and will be very much missed . . .

Cardstock:   Handmade paper Ivory, Marcos Antique Linen,

Scrap Dark Green  

Stamps:        Kaiser Marble, Little Yellow Bicycle Baby Girl: “Sweet”,

           “Girl”

Inks:             ColorBox Gold, Distress Brushed Corduroy

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold

Dies:             Impression Obsession Ten Fun Felines, Hero Palm

Fancy Die, InLoveArtShop Flowers In Vase set, English

Letters: “Cali”, DieVersions font Hint of Lime: Numbers

Soar

My love affair with Gloria Page’s carved artistry continues with her delightful dragonfly duo . . .

My original plan was to put the card front into an embossing folder to add some texture.  But I forgot to do that before I glued down the dragonfly panel.  Next best choice was to do some sketchy ribbon-style strips in the same color cardstock for a subtle, tone-on-tone look. I like it even better than my original plan . . . how I love it when a mistake turns into a plus!

Cardstock:   Nicole Premiere #140 Watercolor, Scrap Black 

Stamps:       Gloria Page Dragonflies

Inks:               Hero Black

Colorants:    Lindy’s Stamp Gang Shabby Turbine Teal

Dies:             InLoveArtShop English Letters, Elizabeth Crafts 

                      Ribbons 1             

Doo Dads:   Joy Pearls Teal      

Dream

How I love putting a smooth white cardstock next to a textured or patterned one . . .

 . . . the one just seems to emphasize the other so well.  A nice pop of color seems to set both textures off to their advantage, and I enjoy yet another chance to use an antique oldie die from Spellbinders.  The rose was retired ages ago but it still works for so many of my projects.  How neat that dies never wear out – at least none of mine have!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Dark Rosy, Nicole #140 Premiere Watercolor   

Stamps:       So She Stamps Dream

Inks:             ColorBox Gold

Waterclrs:    Iuile Sorbet, New Leaf

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Impression Obsession Large Frame, Hero Flower Garden,

Spellbinders Rose, Goodculler Stitched Rectangles            

           Doo Dads:    Perfect Pearls mist Gold    

Gingko

Gloria Page’s original design on the black and white panel features a few Chinese characters.  As they were hard to see clearly, I opted for a little subterfuge . . .

 

 . . . I triple-stamped one of her gingko leaves in green and mounted them over the characters, pop dotting them over the background for further texture and dimension.

Work-arounds like this are one of the things I love most about stamping:  nearly always, there’s another way to work with an image that adds variety and extends the creative life of the original.  More fun, and definitely more bang for the buck!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Ivy, Nicole Premiere #140 Watercolor, Hanko

Echizen Gold

Stamps:       Gloria Page sets:  Cranes in the Grass, Get Into Nature  

Inks:             Hero Black, Ancient Page Pine

Dies:            InLoveArtShop English Letters               

Doo Dads:    Jute Gold, Viva Paper Pen Gold