ODBDSLC30 White & Bright Christmas

This week's ODBD Shining Light Challenge at Our Daily Bread is to make it White & Bright. Use all white except for the stamped image and embellishments. (no designer paper unless it's all white.) What fun! Great time to break into my new ODBD stamps!

I stamped the Poinsettia image on plain white paper and again on Red Shimmer paper (from JoAnns). The white image was loosely trimmed but the red flower was closely trimmed to use for layering (after it dried overnight). The vine and leaves were colored with colored pencils then with a Green Glaze pen from Sakura. The flower (white) was colored with a Red Tombow marker.

To help make the image pop and 3D it, I used an xacto knife to partially cut out the inner petals of the red flower on the shimmer paper then curled them under. After touching up the edges with a black marker, I layered it on the main image using foam tape then used Yellow Stickles in the center of it. A green metallic pen was used for the vine (image) that curled onto the red petals. I tried doing without this green but leaving the vine curls red on the red petals looked kinda funny, more so than the green curls do now. Just now we know that the curls are part of the vine. : )

The image is layered on top of a textured background and the sentiment is also layered on but using foam tape. All this is to help it pop and not look flat when using white on white. I love the effect and that deep red of the shimmer paper, tho you may not see the shimmer here! Thanks for looking! : )

Stamps: ODBD-Luke 2:11 set Ink: VersaFine-Black Onyx

Other: Spellbinders-Labels 4, Fancy Tags; Cuttlebug Emb Folder-Victoria; Prismacolor pencils, Sakura Glaze pen, metallic pen; Stickles-Yellow; foam tape

JustRite Friday Challenge JRC_036

JustRite Friday Challenge 036: Color Challenge

This week's JustRite Friday Challenge #036 is to use this color combination -- dark red, ivory & black, with the added twist of creating your own handmade embellishment. This can be a die cut or crocheted flower/shape, handmade felt embellishment, decorated paperclip or clothespin to add to your project, or any other type of embellishment!

I'm having fun with these challenges, as you can probably tell : ) Looking at my growing collection of JustRite Stamps, I knew Christmas seemed to be the theme for September so I thought I'd try to stick with that. Keep this up and I'll have a good start on my Christmas cards!!

I wanted to use Black for more than just the ink, tho black isn't a color I usually have in mind for Christmas cards so this took some thinking. I tried whatever came to mind in an effort to not over think this (otherwise nothing gets done!). I've seen some great work with layers using Spellbinders dies done by lots of other creative gals, so that gave me some ideas to start with.

The JustRite stamps go hand in hand with Spellbinders nesties! Tho I stamped the words and the black lacy type border as one, I used several different dies to cut them apart and layer them. The lacy border was cut by hand with scissors so I could use another layer below it without making it all any wider for the card front. (The Christmas embossed background can be better seen in the next card I made.) Then to MAKE the embellishment, ugh, I left that for another evening. I experimented with the Blossoms 2 dies (and glitter glue) and made a few flowers to play with. I wasn't too unhappy with this for my first try. : }

I've learned to stamp several images of the same thing at one time to play with different ideas, if I have time, but mostly to have a backup just in case I really don't like the outcome of any experimenting I do with one. Here is another card using the same stamps, dies, punch, background, color theme but different layout and order of colors.

Stamps: JustRite Christmas Treasures Set Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU Craft White

Accessories: Spellbinders Classic Circles, Big Scallop Circle, Blossoms 2; Cuttlebug EF-Season's Greetings; Martha Stewart Edger-Doily Lace, Holly Leaf punch, Branch punch; Ribbon, Black brad, Stickles-Diamond, foam tape

ODBDSLC22 Distressed? Be Strong!

Late night tonight posting this. Thought I'd squeeze into one more challenge, hopefully before the deadline! Our Daily Bread's Shining Light Challenge for this past week was to Distress It! This evening I made a quick, simple, rather distressed card that would probably be a good masculine card. I went all out distressing - tearing, roughing, and inking (with Distress Ink even) edges. I used the CuttleBug "Distressed Stripes" embossing folder and rubbed the ink pad over it. I even pounced the ink pad on the pitiful raffia. Despite the all the distressing (here & life), this verse is so encouraging BE STRONG & Courageous for God is with me, you, us!!! Knowing this helps me sleep at night! : )

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs-Scripture Collection 3

Ink: VersaFine-Vintage Sepia, TH Distress Ink-Antique Linen

Paper: SU, Colorbok

Other: CuttleBug Embossing folder-Distressed Stripes, Raffia

JRC_028 Picture cards

JustRite Friday Challenge 028, Sponsored by Copic: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

This challenge from JustRite was just what I needed to kick me into making cards with pictures. I have 2 sets (besides the font sets) from JustRite Stamps (so far) to choose from for this challenge. Since I wasn't in a Christmas-y mode and I couldn't think of any Christmas-y pictures I had taken lately, I went with the Seeds of Kindness set of sayings. I love flowers and have lots of pictures of flowers, I just needed to narrow down my choices and print some out. Of the 4 different flower pics I selected, I was only able to get 2 of them made into cards by this evening, tho I can only submit 1 for the challenge.

This Chamomile was growing wild in the garden, I was pulling it up just to make room for the veggies trying to grow! I thought this saying was fitting for these beautiful blooms and as a cheery, encouraging sentiment for a card. I don't often use white as the base card and leave it white. In keeping it white, like the flowers, I had to really resist the urge to sponge some color on to it!

Stamps: JustRite-Seeds of Kindness

Paper: Die Cuts With a View

Ink: Stampin'Up-Old Olive, TH Distress Ink-Antique Linen

Other: Spellbinders-Ribbon Tags Trio 2, Classic Oval; Cuttlebug Embossing Folder-Victoria

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I took this picture in the Lava Beds National Monument in California, right at the Oregon border, back in May. I was in awe of the little flowers growing beside the lava rocks, above the caves we explored. They were definitely "blooming where they were planted". Some of these also had touches of pale lavender to them, hard to tell here with a picture of a picture. For the card I tried to bring out that pale lavender a bit, along with the green stems and the rusty color on the rocks.

Stamps: JustRite-Seeds of Kindness

Paper: Die Cuts With a View

Ink: VersaFine-Toffee, Stampin'Up-Lavender Lace

Other: Spellbinders-Blossoms 2, Martha Stewart Punch-Branch

JRS 024 Friday Sketch Red White Blue

I made this card using the JustRite Friday Challenge #024 Sketch "combined with JustRite stamps and the requirement of a red, white & blue Americana color scheme in honor of the upcoming U.S. Independence Day".

Here I used the Curlz Font set from JustRite Stamps, 50pt in blue and 95pt in red. "The" is hand written : ) I tried a version with "the" stamped in 50pt but it made the oval longer than I wanted for this and then I didn't have room for the star brads on it. The oval is over a bit from the sketch otherwise it would cover up most of the flags in the background.

Stamps: JustRite Stamps Curlz Font set

Ink: Memories-Midnight Blue, Cherry Red

Acessories: Cuttlebug Embossing Folder-Stars; Spellbinders Classic Ovals; Brads-stars; Ribbon

White on White, with a little shine

White on White always seemed a challenge for me in the past. I had seen others do beautiful things with white on white in the past but I had never tried it myself. Since I've increased my collection of Cuttlebug embossing folders I wasn't as intimidated when this came up as a swap. I think the embossing helps so much, giving it texture & dimension for wonderful layering.

I used the same snowflake stamp and white glittery embossing powder as I did on one of my Winter Scene cards in the previous post.

Liking how this embossing turned out I had to do it again but with a different background pattern.

I added some more shimmer and shine to random snowflakes in the background by using Sakura's glossy and Clear Stardust glitter pens. This card can go either landscape or portrait. Actually they both can but this one seems to lend itself to either direction for some reason. : )

Stamp: Snowflake-Inkadinkado; Ink: Versamark; Cuttlebug Embossing folders: Herringbone (1st card), Snowflakes (2nd card); Other: Winter Ice EP-Creations Unlimited, White brads, Offray sheer ribbon, Spellbinders Nestabilites Classic Scallop Oval, Sakura Gellyroll Stardust pen- Clear, Sakura glossy pen-white

September Fall Cards

Since I love fall colors, I signed up for some fall themed card swaps with a couple of Yahoo groups I'm in. I figured this would help give me a jump start into card making mode with the holidays fast approaching. Here's a few I made this past week.

I used this Mojo Monday Week 96 sketch for inspiration on a couple of the cards below.

I like using their sketches, less time spent on figuring out a layout, tho' more time spent on picking patterned paper and stamps. I tried to keep it simple here and not spend too much time thinking about it : )

Since I don't have any of the Nestabilities or Spellbinders cutting templates for the big shapes, I used my Fiskars Shapetemplate, traced the circles and cut them out by hand. They don't come out as nice but distress the edge alittle and they look fine. For the larger circle I used paper edging scissors to cut it out.

I really liked this argyle patterned paper for some reason when I first saw it. I couldn't resist using my Cuttlebug Diamonds in the Rough embossing folder on the card front. The embossing doesn't quite line up with the pattern on the paper but I think it adds a nice little dimension to the card, on the inside too.

This one was made using some of the leftover pieces from previous cards. Rather than stash the scraps, only to forget about them, I went ahead and made another quick card. I had just enough of the red to glue on the edges of the base card. Even the leaves were punched from the scraps left after cutting out all the circles : )

Off to get these out in the mail by the end of the month!

Stamps: Fall sprig & verse-Stampin'Up, Thank You-Hero Arts

Ink: Fall sprig-Versafine Sepia (brown), Verse-Adirondack Cranberry (Ranger dye ink), Thank You-Colorbox chalk ink Chestnut Roan (brown)

Paper: DCWV Fall Matstack

Other tools: Offray sheer ribbon-gold, Cuttlebug, Diamond in the Rough embossing folder, Fiskars Shapetemplate, Pinking paper edging scissors (Michaels)

Cards

I took a break from my daily routine to work on some cards. I figured it would cheer me up, and put some color and creativity into my day!

I had stamped a few of these images for a swap a few weeks ago plus a few extra for me in hopes it would motivate me to use them sooner than later. I've had this stamp for several years but had not used it yet. Now is a good time! This verse, Prov. 3:5-6, has encouraged me over the years and is helping me now as I make these cards to (hopefully) encourage others. I have the full verse on another little stamp that I used on the inside left panel then I stamped "Thinking of You" on the right inside panel, leaving room to add a penned note.

Here's another color variation of the same card (without ribbon).

Stamp: Biblical Impressions Ink: VersaFine Onyx Black, Tombow markers (color) Cuttlebug Embossing Folder: Hearts

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight.