Celebrate

The background color scheme of purple and blue was supposed to be peaceful and serene.  However it turned out to be on the lurid side . . .

 So I turned to my favorite secret weapon:  dragonfly paper!  It’s an Asian innovation made (I think) from rayon.  It’s sheer, wispy, and contains occasional silky strands of shimmering beauty.  It also transforms lurid to calm and quiet.  I taped it to the underside of the frame and then set that over the background.  Problem solved!

Cardstock:   Bazzill Lilac, Strathmore #140 Watercolor, Paper Arts 

Dragonfly Rice Paper        

Inks:             Distress Dusty Concord, Faded Jeans, Black Soot, 

Ranger Archival Fern Green

Dies:            My Favorite Things Rectangle Frames, InLoveArts 

Buttterfly & Hollow Line Background (not used), 

TKOnline Celebrate          

Stencil:        Hero Golden Poppies

Bloom

How I love the combination of a busy background offset by a more peaceful focal point . . .

 

I know Winter has just started, but dreaming of Spring is how I get through the frigid days.  I love how making art can take me anywhere I want to go.  Happily, with this stencil set, I can tiptoe through the tulips anytime I want!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Parakeet, Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth       

Stamps:       Lindy’s Stamp Gang Tulip, Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             Ancient Page Bordeaux, Plum Wine, Archival Fern

Green, Leaf Green, Distress Worn Lipstick, Shabby Shutters, Superior India Ink Black

Waterclrs:    Zig Clean Color Light Carmine, Olive Green, Deep Red

Dies:            Arich Rounded Corners Stitched Rectangles, Frantic

Stamper “Bloom”    

Stencil:        Hero Tulip Pattern

Doo Dads:    American Crafts Jute Green        

JOY

I always have high expectations for my Christmas cards, but I'm not thrilled with this year's results . . .

 

I was inspired by a card I saw on a blog and I tried to put my own spin on it.  Probably should have left well enough alone.  Anyway, I wish a memorable and a wonderfully blessed MERRY CHRISTMAS to one and all!

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Strathmore #140 Watercolor, Carnival

                    Cover Red, Scraps Green 

Dies:            DieNamics Winter Wreath, Cheery Lynn Pine Branches,

 Lil Inker “Joy”                

Cheers

When I saw this enchanting Snowbell die, I had to have it . . .

Such a sweet image – useful for a variety of card themes, I believe.  I haven’t used corrugated paper for a long time so I dusted some off and used it for the backing.  The glittery butterfly is a bit overdone but I needed something to cover up a runny glue boo boo.  Things just got a little glitzier than I was aiming for.

 

Cardstock:   Strathmore #140 Watercolor, Marcos Jute, Scraps 

Corrugated Kraft, Light & Dark Green  

Dies:            TEMU Woodgrain Nesting Rectangle Frame, Simon Says 

Snowbell Bouquet, Butterflies, TKOnline Celebration Set: Cheers                    

Doo Dads:    Simon Says Assorted Moonshine Sequins, Metalix

Glitter Moondust     

Thankful

For some inexplicable reason, two of my favorite people were missing from my Thanksgiving list of recipients last month.  Very strange.  So, having caught my mistake in time, I had fun making my very first Shaker Cards . . .

 

I used a kit which contained the dies and the clear plastic shaker domes that will hold the glitter.  First, I cut a window into a piece of cardstock to be layered onto the card front.  I then dry embossed it and highlighted the wood grain with ink to bring out the pattern.  I turned it over and inserted the clear shaker dome. 

 

I think the dome is supposed to descend into the inside of the card.  But I mounted it so it would be raised above the card front.  This gave me the perfect platform on which to mount my textured gold leaf spray.  No pop dots or foam strips needed!  And, as the back of this layer is flat, it gets mounted directly onto the card front and leaves no messy backside to cover up.

 

Cardstock:   Marcos Jute, Neenah Desert Storm       

Inks:             VersaMark, Distress Brushed Corduroy

Emb Pwdr:   Ranger Gold

Dies:            Tim Holtz Skeleton Leaves, Frantic Stamper 

Elegant Thankful                 

Emb Fldr:     The Paper Studio Woodgrain

Doo Dads:    My Favorite Things Shaker Window Kit, 

Wink of Stella Gold  

Congratulations

My favorite artsy background:  mottled coloring over-stamped with scrawly text . . .

 

After distressing the perimeter, I did some random gold embossing around the edges.  I’ve always tried for perfect edgings of all kinds, but the random and distressed look is far more interesting.  So, it’s out with the chalk line, plumb bob, and level – and in with random, intermittent, and distressed!  Well, much of the time, anyway . . .

 

Cardstock:   Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth  

Stamps:       A Stamp in the Hand Words Background Script, Stacey

Stamps Tulips

Inks:             Distress Brushed Corduroy, Old Paper, Peeled Paint

Emb Pwdr:   WOW Metallic Gold Rich

Dies:            TEMU Fantasy Theme ”Congratulations”          

Doo Dads:    Michael’s ribbon, Wink of Stella Gold

Happy

I can’t get enough of stenciling . . .

The cheerful background on this one was done with a three-layered stencil set.  The first layer did the animal bodies.  The red stars and dots were done with the second layer, and the decorative additions were last.

LOVE the results.  Get me a layered stencil set plus a few blending brushes and inks, and I will decorate the world!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Arctic, Red, Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth    

Inks:             Distress Weathered Wood, Candied Apple, VersaFine

 Majestic Blue

Dies:            Tattered Lace Everyday Sentiments: Happy               

Stencil:        Hero Folk Winter: Animals

Doo Dads:    Cosmic Shimmer Sparkle Texture Paste Platinum       

Smile

This one shows a slight variation to the frame I used on an earlier post of the same layout . . .

 It’s been awhile since I’ve used vellum and I’ve happily gotten hooked on it again.  I was so happy with the slightly distressed look of the stamped mesh on the vellum that I made two cards with this design.  I’ll be making more . . .

Cardstock:   Bazzill Admiral, Glama #40 Heavy Vellum        

Stamps:       Fiskars brayer Mesh, Impress Cherry Blossom Branch

Inks:             Distress Lost Shadow, ColorBox Frost White

Colorants:    Zig Clean Color: Peacock Blue, Deep Green

Emb Pwdr:   Hero White

Dies:            TEMU Stitched Rectangular Frame, AlteNew Vertical Greetings:                               Smile     

Doo Dads:    Waffle Flower Enamel Dots White

Happy Birthday

I like to make birthday cards with a floral theme for my friend John who raises flowers for a living . . .

This open-work flower is quite unusual and I thought it worked well for the layout.  Lots of texture here to captivate the eye and provide some tactile pleasure.  However, the various elements are probably clearest when viewed in real life.

 

Cardstock:   Canson Mixed Media Rough #114, Stedner Bright

White, Neenah Desert Storm       

Stamps:       Impression Obsession Bark

Inks:             Distress Hickory Smoke, Pumice Stone, Brushed

Corduroy, Peeled Paint, Worn Lipstick, Picked

Raspberry,  Tombow marker #847 Red, Bob Ross 

Black Gesso

Dies:            Impression Obsession Birch Trees, Dee’s Distinctively 

Lattice 2, Scrap Man Rosebud, TEMU Vertical 

Happy Birthday                  

Stencil:        Picket Fence A Stone Wall

Emb Fldr:     Carabelle Mini Pebbles

Doo Dads:    Kat Scrappiness Sparkling Clear Droplets         

Happy

The stone background on this one looked a little flat, so I ran it through an embossing folder with a pebbled design and that did the trick . . .

The birch trees were a little hard to see against the busy background, so I tried something new: I used the tip of a palette knife to carefully dab on some embossing paste.  Because the tree trunks had been propped up with pop dots, this was quite easy to do.  Birch bark peels a lot so this added a touch of realism.  It’s probably a lot more visible in person . . .

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Ash, Canson Mixed Media Rough #114, 

Stedner Bright White, Neenah Desert Storm       

Stamps:       Impression Obsession Bark

Inks:             Distress Hickory Smoke, Pumice Stone, Brushed

Corduroy,  Tombow marker #847 Red, Bob Ross 

Black Gesso

Dies:            Impression Obsession Birch Trees, Dee’s Distinctively 

Lattice 2, AliExpress Happy from the Happy Birthday set                 

Stencil:        Picket Fence A Stone Wall

Emb Fldr:     Carabelle Mini Pebbles

Doo Dads:    Americana Titanium White Acrylic Paint, Wendy

Vecchi Embossing Paste White    

Grateful

 I’ve used this die cut pumpkin image before because I love the look and the fact that it lets me use up lots of scraps . . .

After assembling the pumpkin, I popped it up on foam to define it more clearly against the busy background.  It’s amazing how effective added dimension can be . . .

 

Happy  Thanksgiving  to  one  and  all!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Raven, Strathmore #100 Bristol Smooth, 

Various patterned papers    

Stamps:       Inkadinkado Leaf Background

Inks:            Superior India Ink Black, Distress Oxide Mustard Seed,

Carved Pumpkin, Wink of Stella Black

Dies:            InLoveArts Pumpkin Leaf, On Air-Store Fall Thankful

Words: Grateful      

Happy

Here is my example of Jennifer McGuire’s Hinge Card idea done accurately according to her directions and not the way I did when I got off track, as seen in Monday’s post . . .

 

One simple fold creates a novel card that I think anyone would enjoy receiving.  Embellishment options range from simple to more involved and all would be fun to make and look good.  I’m keeping the easy directions for this one handy . . .

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Capri Sea, Kachina, Tim Holtz Silver Sparkle   

Dies:            AliExpress Leaf, Vanvler/Amazon Pop Up Flowers, 

EK Success Flower punch, In Air-store Fall Thankful

Words: Happy                

Emb Fldr:     Memory Box Chrysanthemum Field

Doo Dads:    Gelly Roll pen Clear Star   

Happy

I was captivated by Jennifer McGuire’s recent video on Hinge Cards and decided to give them a try. This was my first attempt . . .

 

The directions were simple but I managed to screw up one of the few steps anyway.  So the card is now a Mini Slimline instead of the A2 I was expecting to create. 

 

Well, so what?  It still works and I’m happy not only to send it, but to make more of them in future!  A quick note:  I used a pair of thin magnets to hold the flap closed.  For display, it looks good when the card is angled and the flower-covered panel faces forward . . .

 

Take a look at my next post on Thursday which will show what the card was supposed to look like!

 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Capri Sea, Kachina, Tim Holtz Silver Sparkle             

Dies:             AlteNew Dotted Scales, Marianne Rose-Centered

Lace Panel, TEMU Rose Flower & Leaf, TEMU 

Vertical Words: Happy

25 Years

My priest is celebrating twenty five years behind the pulpit and has done a fine job which needs to be acknowledged . . .

Originally, the background layer was a light green which appeared insipid next to the silver card base.  So I brayered over it with a darker shade of green.  The results were an artsy splotchy look and the richer color set off the glitter-backed dandelions wonderfully well.

 

Cardstock:   The Paper Cut Orion: Silver, Strathmore #140

Watercolor, Tim Holtz Alcohol Ink Silver Sparkle         

Inks:             Distress Rustic Wilderness

Dies:            InLoveArtShop Blooming Dandelion Background, 

DieNamics Basic Stitch Lines, Tim Holtz Alphanumeric

Tiny Type Upper, Impression Obsession Flags, 

Memory Box Alphabet Soup              

Doo Dads:    Dennison Crepe Paper Rope Leaf Green, Candi Dots 

Hardware, Kat Scrappiness Sparkling Clear Droplets  

You're in My Prayers

This one began as a boo boo . . .

 

I was going for an artistically splotchy small background with various blues and greens.

Didn’t work.  I perked it up with clear embossing powder.  Not good.  Solution?  Cover up 90% of the mess with a flowery background floral die cut.  Embellish with a butterfly and a sentiment and we can look at it without cringing.  Yay!

 

Cardstock:   Unknown Textured Turquoise, Strathmore 

#100 Bristol Smooth        

Stamps:       Unknown “You’re in my prayers”

Inks:             Distress Peacock Feathers, various alcohol inks

Emb Pwdr:   Vippies Transcendence

Dies:            Hero Flower Garden, Memory Box Butterflies:

Vivienne, Darla, Cottage Cutz Nested Stitched

Scallop Square             

Thinking of You

My brother’s recovery from a stroke he had about four months ago continues.  Maddeningly, it’s taking a lot longer than we all thought 

it would.  

So, encouragement cards along the way are certainly in order . . .

 

The focal image looked adrift on the formerly plain card front but when the textural layer was added, that changed everything.

For some odd reason, I glued down the text off center.  I often do that on purpose, but not this time, and it didn’t look right.  So I added the leaf spray to restore some balance.  As I’ve often and happily observed, there’s always a way out of boo boos in the rubber stamping world!

Cardstock:   Strathmore Ultimate White, Scrap Deep Yellow

Stamps:       All Night Media Flower Boy, Purple Daisy Sand

Inks:             ColorBox Black

Waterclrs:    LuminArte assorted watercolors

Emb Pwdr:   Judikins Detail Black

Dies:            Glitz Abstract Net, Gina Marie Stitched Rounded Squares,

 Impression Obsession Foliage, TEMU Sentimental    

Shadow Words: Thinking of You               

Doo Dads:    USArt Quest Opal Essence Glitter

Mike & Becky

It was a total joy to make this card, mostly because it celebrates my beautiful niece’s wedding, but also because it was so much fun to put together . . .

While the die design looks intricate, the die cuts are easy to place.  When finished, the card stands up nicely for display.  Even though the design is quite dimensional, the card folds easily for mailing.  The stand-out oval panel can be used to showcase any event, so I think there are countless events I’ll be happily commemorating in future. 

Cardstock:   Bazzill Pear, Leapfrog, Strathmore #140 Watercolor, 

Constellation Raster White

Colorants:    Zig Real Brush Sugared Almond Pink, Yellow

Dies:            TEMU Rectangular and Oval Shapes, Wedding,

Luxury Purple Red Stem, Scrapbook Bow Toppers, 

Cheery Lynn Tiny Flower Kit     

Emb Fldr:     Crafts-Too Sweet Flowers

Doo Dads:    Couture Creations Glitter Silver Shimmer