Tuesday, January 5, 2016

SCS Hope You Can Cling To Challenge Cards from October 2015

I can't seem to get up from my computer at the moment so I might as well post some more while I'm here!  I could be working on a card right now, ha, or reading a book, hmmm, but nahhhh, let's post some more cards!  Here's a collection of cards I made for some of the October HYCCT challenges on Splitcoast Stampers. This is done in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness and we send the cards to MD Anderson in Texas where they make them available to patients and their family members to send or give out.

There were 40 challenges this year!  I didn't get all of them done for the month but I did have some fun with a few.  I always look forward to this event every October.  It seems to jump start my creativity after months of not making anything, just in time to think about & make holiday cards.  On to the cards!!


Challenge: Stop & Smell the Roses - use roses.  
Stamps: Close to my Heart-Floral Happiness    Ink & Paper: Stampin'Up!  
Other: Misti, scissors to fussy cut, foam tape to pop up flowers, glue



Challenge: Finish Line - include a hand draw a line & have something crossing it
Stamps: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps-Cute Critters   Paper: DCWV   Ink: Versafine, Tombow markers  
Other: pen & ruler to draw finish line and border around sentiment
Teehee, I cracked myself up with this one, thanks to SNSS critters.  Hopefully some little boy will enjoy this. : )



Challenge: use the Wrinkle Free Distress technique
Inks: TH Distress Ink pads    Paper: Shimmer paper for die cuts
Other:  Taylored Expressions-Silhouette Stems 3 die, Memory Box-Sketchbook Love die

I smeared a stripe for each of 3 color pads onto my craft mat, spritzed it with a water mister then swiped the paper thru it a few times to pick up the ink creating a background.  I could keep doing this, it was fun!



Challenge: Strengthen the designer paper - embellishing it.  
Paper: DCWV-Cafe Mediterranean   Other: McGill Tag punch, Taylored Expressions-Hello die, brad, 
Sakura Stardust pen (used on white flowers), foam tape
I cut out spare flowers and popped a few of them up on the background (white) and glued some of the blue flowers to the tag : )



Challenge: Strength in Numbers-use masking technique to make a group of people or animals
Stamps: Great Impressions-Fish (single fish with air bubbles), Hero Arts-sentiment
Ink: Versafine, Tombow markers  Other: Spellbinders Rectangle die, Clear window plastic (fish tank window), 
Stamp-a-ma-jig (to make a pool of fish with one fish)!



Challenge: Pretty Tattoo - use image and or words that would make a pretty tattoo
Stamps: Misty Mountain Rubber Stamps-flower, Art Impressions-sentiment    Ink: Versafine, Tombow markers  
Other: CB Distressed Stripes EF, foam tape



Challenge: Create a cure - make a colorful background using the Salting Technique
Stamp: Hero Arts-sentiment  Inks: Versafine, Artist's Loft pearlescent watercolors  Paper: DCWV, Shimmer paper for die cut, Watercolor paper for background   Other: Spellbinders-Butterfly Magic die, Kosher salt,  water mister

I didn't get the paints very wet so I had to mist the paper well before shaking the salt onto it.  The salt absorbs the water (thus some color) leaving a speckled background.  I really did not like this background using the pearlescent wc paint but I couldn't find my other watercolors and I didn't have time to play with this technique more before the challenge period ended.  I tried to pretty it up using the die cut. : )



Challenge:  I am a warrior - create a card that shows strength or inspiration
Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs-Keep Climbing & Mountain sets  Ink: Versafine-black & blue, Memento-brown
Basic, but colorful with the layering, inspiring, may be masculine tho I wouldn't mind receiving it. :)



Challenge: split the difference- make full card front and split it with a sentiment strip.
Stamp: Stampendous  Ink: Versafine  Other: Memory Box - Reverse Butterfly Collage, Faber-Castell Gelatos & water, 
Perfect Pearls mist (to perk up the otherwise stark black background!)
I love this Reverse Butterfly Collage die, so much easier to adhere down than the intricate butterfly die I used on another card (below)!  The sentiment I cut by hand into a banner of sorts.  I didn't want to cover too much of that background. :)



Challenge: Thank Pink - make a pink thank you card
Stamp: SU Vivid Greetings  Ink: SU  Other: Memory Box-Fancy Blossoms flower die, Stickles, foam tape



Challenge: Orange you glad...? Make a card using Orange 
Paper: Core'dinations  Dies: Taylored Expressions - Curly Swirlies, Little Yellow Bicycle-Hope
Hmm, I should use orange more often, I think I like it. : )



Challenge: Trash Cancer - use an item to represent each letter in the word TRASH.  
Here I used Teal/Turquoise color, Red, paper with applique background (?!), a sentiment and a hat!
Stamps: Great Impressions  Ink: Versafine, Tombow markers  Paper: K&Company  
Other: scissors to cut out image, foam tape to pop it up  : )



Challenge: Thanks Bunches - use masking to make a bunch of something
Stamps: River City Rubber Works-Tulip bunch topper (clear acrylic stamp), Unknown-pot with bow (red rubber on wood mount), Stampworkz Crafters Companion-sentiment  Ink: Versafine, Tombow markers  Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig, 
scrap & scissors to make a mask of the bunch of tulips

Ha, Good Golly, looking at this now, several months later, how did I do this?!  It was a challenge, and I only made one card, I remember that much!  Notice the flowers & pot are 2 separate stamps and 2 different types, one clear, the other not!  One pot with one collection of tulips apparently wasn't "a bunch" enough for me at the time, I must have been feeling creative that night!  Anything to add to a challenge for myself! : )



Challenge: Relationships matter - card representing this
Stamps: Great Impressions-image, Sweet n' Sassy Stamps-sentiment  Ink: Versafine, Tombow markers, 
Sakura Stardust pen  Other: CB-Baby's Breath EF, May Arts Ribbon



Challenge: Hearts for Hope- use 3 hearts and some red : )
Dies: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps-Bottom of my Heart,  Cuttlebug-Love Language sentiment, Diamonds in the rough EF



Challenge: Can I get a ride? - use image of mode a of transportation
Stamps: Great Impressions-bicycle, CTMH-sentiment  Ink: versafine, Tombow markers, 
Sakura Stardust pen (traced sentiment, accent flowers)  Paper: DCWV



Challenge: Food for the Body & Soul - something sweet!
Paper: Kathy Davis-Hello Sunshine   Stamp: SU Watercolor Words    Ink: Versamark  
Other: Moon Glow EP - 2 tone Midnight Sapphire & Obsidian, Foam tape (pop up extra cupcake)
I love the look of this 2 tone EP, straight on it looks black so had to angle it so you could see the beautiful blue!!  It really helps the sentiment pop on that busy paper!



Challenge: Light Days - use the ombre technique to make a background
Ink: SU Cameo Coral reinker  Paper: Watercolor, Shimmer for die cuts  
Dies: Memory Box - Waltzing Butterflies, Sketchbook Joy

Wet watercolor paper with water mister, spread with brush.  Drip reinker on acrylic block, use brush to add color to wet watercolor paper, starting at one end and spread back and forth working way down the page, allowing color to get lighter toward opposite end.



Challenge: Candy Striper Comfort - use red & white stripes
Paper: Penny Black-Madison, Silver shimmer paper (curly swirly)  Other: Taylored Expressions-Curly Swirlies die, 
Little Yellow Bicycle-Love die



Challenge: First class, no extra postage needed, bonus use postage like images
Stamps: Make an Impression-postage stamp, unknown maker of cube stamp of Christmas images  
Ink: Memento, Tombow markers, Versamark  
Other: Stamp-a-ma-jig (to place 4 postage images as close together as possible like a sheet of stamps), 
Sakura Stardust pen to accent images, Roller to apply layer of Versamark over whole thing, Clear EP for a nice shiny & sealing layer 

Whew!  Ok, maybe I should have split this up into a few parts.  This review makes me want to go play, but sadly, I think it's time to call it a night.  Besides, it's time for me to "move aaawaay from the computer"!  Break away from staring, unglue from my seat and back it up & out!  Good night!

Merry Christmas cards


I see it's been quite awhile since I've posted here so I thought I'd post a few of the Christmas cards I made back in December!  I seem to be a few years behind in using many of the Christmas/Winter stamps I acquire.  The last couple of  years I've looked at this cute polar bear & penguin stamp thinking, I really want to use this!  It has sat out on my table all this time (yes, years), patiently waiting, always smiling & waving at me, so this year I finally did!  


I made enough to color 2 of each scarf color combo except for one, but that's what I get for only stamping 11 images on just the right size scraps of cardstock and not finding another scrap handy to make an even number.  I left a few snow dots in the image un-inked to leave room to stamp the Merry Christmas.  Stickles were used to add sparkle to the snow and the ruff on the penguin's hat.  The patterned paper was chosen based on scarf colors and the layers I played with determined the size of the card.  This fulfilled my need for variety despite the initial assembly line intention. : )

Stamps: Image-Great Impressions, Sentiment-Taylored Expressions
Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black, Tombow markers, Stickles
Papers: DCWV, Penny Black, SU, Memory Box

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Breaking my usual lag time in making cards with holiday stamps I acquire, these 4 cards were made with a set I just purchased in the last 3 months from Stampin' Up! I tried for some with a non-traditional background, but hey, they're still green, kinda homey. : )  The tree image with the words is stamped using Pearlescent Brilliance ink, giving it a nice little shimmer.  The lighter green stamped image on the lower left card is a second imprint.  I used the Stardust pen on the stars & on the string of red lights on the decorated trees to add some shine.

Stamps: Stampin' Up-Peaceful Pines  with Perfect Pines thinlits dies
Inks: Brilliance Pearlescent, SU, Sakura Stardust pen 
Paper: DCWV, K&Company

Well, I made another style of Christmas card also, but apparently I haven't transferred their pictures to my computer yet since I'm not finding them now.  I better post these anyway, otherwise another year may fly by before I do! : )