Blue Poppies and The Sea

WhooHoo. I got 2 1/2 cards made this past week.  My neighbor grows blue poppies, they're almost 3 feet tall!  They were my inspiration to color a couple of  my digi poppy images from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps  and I used this week's sketch from The Sweet Stop SSS225  for one of them.  (The other blue poppy card is not finished yet.) 

I love how it turned out with this color combo!  (You can click on the image to make it bigger.)

Stamps: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps-Poppies (digi), Our Daily Bread Designs-Crochet Border    

Ink: TH Distress Ink-Salty Ocean, Faded Jeans, Antique Linen     Paper: K&Company, DCWV     

Other:  Prisma Colored Pencils, Sponge daubers, Seam Binding, water spritzer. Spellbinders-Ovals, 

Floral Oval dies, ODBD-Crochet Border die, Bow Easy

I used TH Distress Ink pads in Salty Ocean & Faded Jeans to dye the seam binding the shade I wanted it.  It was fun to do & I had blue fingers for almost 2 days. :)  Yes, I could have, and probably should have, used a baggie or a plastic glove on my hand but I was too lazy (?) to go down to the kitchen to get one. Well, more like impatient to get on with the fun!  The next day I received a few comments about my 3 dark blue finger tips from co-workers (You didn't get that from gardening...no that would be a green thumb, this here's a blue one, from inking! haha Huh?!), from an auto parts store clerk (like he hasn't seen filthy hands, well, just not blue ones) & from my hubby (They look dirtier than mine after working on my truck, use a scrubber like I do! Really?).

I had worked on this card over several days, and was finishing it up Thursday morning.  My hubby was packing up to go off to work for a few weeks and I had a few hours until we needed to head into the airport.  He called up to me, "are you working on a card for me?!"  Umm, hmm, "Nooo, I'm finishing up another card", I replied as tinges of guilt creep in, helped by his "ohhh" response. Thoughts running through my head: I didn't make him an anniversary card last week, and now he's taking off for a few weeks; he says he likes it when I leave him a note in his bag, which I haven't done in months (?)...oh boy... So I grabbed some stamps, think quick but don't overthink, or nothing will get made!  My inspiration - he's going to be on a ship at sea in the far north (tho not a sail boat like the image I used).  This is what I came up with, and handed to him as I chased him out the door to the waiting vehicle.  Wheewww!  Love ya dear!

Stamps: Sweet n' Sassy Stamps-The Sea      Ink: Versamark, TH Distress ink-Stormy Sea, Antique Linen     

Other:  Judi kins Embossing Powder-Lapis Lazuli (image), Ranger Super Fine Detail EP Black (sentiment) , sponge daubers

The JudiKins EP "Lapis Lazuli" is a mix of a dark blue & a bronze colored powder.  I hadn't used that EP in years and I wasn't sure what look to expect using it with this silhouette image. I just jumped in & tried it, no hours of hesitation....and, well, it gives it an interesting look!  I added a little sponging (maybe not enough) and called it good.  More like hubby called it time to go, so done it was!  

ODBDSLC106 No Designer Paper

Our Daily Bread Designs Shining Light Challenge for this past week was to make a card without designer paper.  It was to encourage us to make our own backgrounds using stamps, embossing or just plain paper.

Here's my card.  I really like their background stamps and had several butterfly and flower images from one of my favorite sets from ODBD, Don't Worry, already stamped just waiting to be used on something.  It's simple and peaceful to me, not busy or bright, but calming.  I love walking through our woods with the dog and finding flowers blooming here and there with butterflies fluttering in the sunlight shining through the branches.  It's still a little early yet for all of that here in AK, but I believe Spring is finally upon us in our area! 


Stamps: ODBD Wood Background, Grow in Grace-verse, Don't Worry!-flower & butterfly
Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa, TH Distress Ink Antique Linen, Tombow Markers, Sakura Stardust pen

HOPE You Can Cling To Challenge Cards

Splitcoast Stampers is hosting a full month of challenges in October to make cards for MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston TX for cancer patients and their families. 3 challenges were posted on Oct. 1 then one challenge a day has been posted for the rest of the month for 33 total. We have until Nov 7 to complete them and post pictures of the cards to the Splitcoast gallery, then we package up our batch, with envelopes and plastic bags and send them to MD Anderson. They make the cards available to the families there to use. In case anyone needs some extra motivation, there are tons of sponsors who are contributing stamping related prizes to those who participate in these challenges. They will be given out with random drawings.

I have made maybe 3 cards since January so I'm using these challenges to motivate me to make some cards for a great cause (prize or no prize)! I don't know that I can get all 33 done in this short of time, this late in the game, at the rate I make cards but we'll see! Scott is off to work for awhile so I'm trying to creatively manage my after-work time to get some made! Here's my first batch to post, made over the past 1 1/2 weeks, in no particular order!

HYCCT1107 - Colors of Hope - Use green, brown & yellow

Paper-DCWV; Stamp-Printworks; Ink-Memento; Sizzix Leafy branch,

Prima flowers, Stickles, mini buttons

HYCCT1101C - Make a circle card

Stamp-Inkadinkado clear stamp; Ink-Fresco Chalk Ink, Tombow Marker; tiny rhinestones,

mini button, ribbon, Spellbinders die

HYCCT1102 - Inspiration Challenge

Stamp-Stampin'Up balloon, JustRite alphabet; ribbon, Stickles

HYCCT1103 - Masculine card with pink

Stamps-PSX, Biblical Impressions (ToY); Ink-Memento; Paper-DCWV; Spellbinders die, brads

HYCCT1101A - Make any animal pink!

Stamps-vap scrap cow (Micheals $ bin), Hero Arts; Ink-Memento, Stickles on center cow,

tag punch, heart punch, ribbon

HYCCT1105 - Circles Sketch

Stamps-Great Impressions, JustRite (sentiment); Ink-Memento, Tombow markers;

Paper-K&CCompany; Spellbinders, Stickles

HYCCT1116 - Use a pink ribbon

Stamp-Starvingartistamps; Ink-Memento; Paper-Kaisercraft; Offray Ribbon,

Love dangly from JoAnn's wedding decor dept

HYCCT1114 - Pink Collage

Stamp-Inkadinkado; Ink-VersaFine, Tombow Marker; Paper-Tim Holtz, DCWV; Stickles on butterflies,

Diamond Glaze on larger watch face

HYCCT1110 - Incorporate pink, ribbon & friend theme

Stamps-Rubber Stampede Cherry Blossoms, Stampin'Up sentiment; Ink-VersaFine, Tombow markers;

Stickles, MS Border punch, ribbon

HYCCT1128 - Primarily Pink Holiday Card and ODBDSLC82

Stamps-OurDailyBreadDesigns; Ink-VersaFine Smokey Grey, SU Rose Romance & Pretty in Pink,

Blender Pen; Cuttlebug EF Holly Ribbon; Sakura Stardust pen, Offray Ribbon

HYCCT1113 - Incorporate Butterflies

Stamp-Stampendous sentiment- stamped, sponged with pink, cut out and popped up; Ink-Memento;

Paper-DCWV Garden Party- background between butterflies sponged with pink ink

HYCCT1104 - (H)aving (O)nly (P)aper (E)lements (no bling, no ribbon, etc.)

Paper-Kaisercraft - too pretty to embellish anyway : )

HYCCT1127 - Pickled Tink Humerous CAS with touch of Pink

Stamps-Eureka Stamps ducklings, Hero Arts sentiment; Ink-Memento, Tombow markers; Corner rounder punch;

Stickles on pink duckling : )

HYCCT1123 - Bees, yellow or bee friendly environment

Stamps-Rubber Stampede bee, Hero Arts sentiment; Ink-Memento, Tombow Marker

HYCCT1101B - Use Bling

Stamp-Inkadinkado; Ink-Memento; Glittery Paper-sale bin at JoAnns; Stickles, Rhinestones, ribbon

I'm trying to think less as I work on these, helps me to make more than 1 per day now and then! : ) Now, Off with the TV, ON with the music and back to making some cards.

January Swap cards

Wow, this month has flown by! Hubby came home from work early and my seasonal tax job started up, so I have not stamped much this month at all. I had signed up for some swaps earlier so I did get those done by monthend, barely.

This was for a Blue & Silver card swap. This time of year, when I think of using blues snowmen and snowflakes always come to mind. (I tried to think of something else but it wasn't happening.) I like snowflakes and snowmen, and with these old silver flake brads and blue & silver flaky ribbon this came together quickly in my mind! The snowflake background stamp was used with Versamark & clear embossing powder.

Stamp: Great Impressions-snowmen, Our Daily Bread Designs-Snowflake Swirl Background

Ink: Versamark, Versafine-Gray, Tombow Markers

Other: Silver brads, Ribbon (Michaels or Hobby Lobby), Clear Embossing Powder, Stickles

____________________________________________________

This was for a Red, Black & white card swap. In person, the white is more ivory and the red is more brick/barn/rustic red(ish). I really like the effect of the embossing & sanding for the background. It was fun and saved me time not having to go thru papers, trying to pick & choose a combo & layout... not that I didn't try to before I settled on this technique (eye roll). The black gathered ribbon was part of a small stash I got as part of a grab bag a long time ago.

Stamp: Our Daily Bread Designs-Scripture Collections 3; Ink: Versafine-Black Onyx; Paper: DCWV; Other: Martha Stewart Doily punch, Cuttlebug EF-Victoria, Black gathered ribbon, sandpaper

_______________________________________________

This was for a torn edges card swap. My mind went blank at first until I went thru some of my new stamps from Our Daily Bread. : ) It took me longer to decide whether to go with brown ribbon, keep it 2 tone, or add color, as shown here.

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs-Full of Grace Pray, Wood Background, Don't Worry (butterfly)

Ink: Stampin'Up-Chocolate, Tombow Marker, Sakura Stardust pen

Other: Sizzix Leafy Branch, Ribbon

I'm doing better at keeping my commitments for swaps than at making birthday cards for my family, ugh! There won't be many more cards (or commitments) made until after tax season.

Glimmer & Poinsettias ODBDSLC38

This week's Shining Light Challenge 38 over at Our Daily Bread Designs Blog is to create a holiday card, for any holiday. Tis the season for me to dive into making Christmas cards so this only helped to motivate me to get busy. Here's a few variations using the same stamps from the Blessed Christmas set from ODBD.

I love this Holly Ribbon embossing folder, especially combined with Pearl Glimmer Mist (sprayed after embossing). Wow, what a glimmer! I used my favorite Sakura Clear Stardust pen on the poinsettias to spread that shimmer.

I sponged Antique Linen Distress ink on the embossing before spraying the glimmer mist on this card. You can't see that shimmer but the flower really stands out from that stardust pen!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stamps: ODBD Blessed Christmas Ink: VersaFine Vintage Sepia, TH Distress Ink-Antique Linen Other: Spellbinders labels4, Ribbon Tag Trio; Cuttlebug EF Holly Ribbon, Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist-Pearl, Sakura Clear Stardust pen, Tombow Markers, Ribbon

Thanksgiving cards

The celebrated Thanksgiving Day, a day to gather with family & friends to eat (what we do best together) and share what we're thankful for or the commercial interpretation - day of feasting in preparation for the big shopping weekend, is fast approaching! My hubby is working thru that Saturday following so we will have our little feast a few days later. That means I'll be able to relax and do my own thing that day! Well, I have been invited to a neighbors' so I still have the option to feast. : )

I just finished up some cards that I'm gonna send out in thanksgiving for my family. I had colored these images about this time last year but by the time I finished, the task of matching them up with paper was too overwhelming for me to get them finished for last Thanksgiving. (I HAD to color them all different!) You may recognize a few from previous posts and entries into ODBD challenges but most of them were done these last couple of weeks while Scott was home. (Verse was just added to 2 of the cards posted earlier - the card above and the Orange card on the right below.)

Just like I varied the colors in the image, I tried to vary the style of the card at least slightly tho they still are very similar. They are the standard 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 (or close to it except the first card) for easy mailing so not too much room for variation. I have a hard time making exactduplicates anyway, too many options, too many colors, and I only made less than a dozen (unlike Christmas cards) so why not play!

Some of them were colored with markers (Tombow and Adirondack) and some were colored with Prismacolor pencils. I had lots of practice with layering colors while doing these.

This is a great image to use the out-of-the box die cutting technique. Simple cloth image to cut around : ) I like how the cloth part kinda pops up at you naturally, there's no foam tape under it tho I considered putting some there anyway since I'm mailing it out. Hmm, those grapes almost glow on the left-hand card.

This Bible verse is part of the Fruit of the Spirit stamp set from Our Daily Bread Designs. I had won the fruit bowl image thru the "Whose stamp is it anyway?" competition in Scrap&Stamp Arts magazine last year so I don't have the set. Since I liked the verse with this image, I picked 4 of my favorite fonts to print it out in Word (or Publisher).

Whew, I'm glad these are done! Off to get these ready for the mail! Then on to making Christmas cards. : ) I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and remember to be thankful every day (without the additional calories)!! : )

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs-Fruit of the Spirit Ink: Versafine Black Onyx, Tim Holtz Distress inks-Antique Linen, Tea, Brick

Paper: DCWV Other: Markers-Tombow, Adirondack; Prismacolor Pencils, Spellbinders- Classic Ovals, Sm. Scalloped ovals, Labels 4; Cuttlebug EF- D'vine Swirl, Textile; Sakura Clear Stardust pen, DMC Metallic Gold floss, Foam tape, Ribbon

Ribbons on colors

The Stamping in Time: On Assignment Challenge 21 at Our Daily Bread Designs Blog is to use our favorite embellishment, and to make it obvious as to which is our favorite, since it is so hard to use just one embellishment on a card, let alone pick one favorite!

I love ribbon!! I don't use it on anything but cards but I'm attracted to the many colors, styles and sizes of ribbon. When the craft stores break out the holiday ribbon, I can't resist checking it out, what new colors and designs this year?!! Last month I bought this sheer red ribbon with sunflowers printed on it. It's pretty wide and has wire but I don't let that deter me. It works great as a background, after removing the wire.

Since this is sheer ribbon I put a strip of colored paper behind it. In this first card I used red paper; it brightens the red and deepens the green of the leaves in the print.

Here is the same card but with green paper instead of red. The strip of green paper behind the sheer red ribbon deepens the red and brightens the green of the leaves on the print. It also makes the other ribbon look awfully orange here. It's actually more of a copper color and matches the glittery edging on the sheer red ribbon, but you can't tell that from this pic, grrrrr.

Glitter or other shimmery embellishments are also a favorite of mine. These ribbons happen to have some glitter and shimmer to it. I carried it over to the paper by using some glitter glue. Hmmm, is it still obvious that Ribbon is my favorite here tho?!

This is one of my favorite verses - Don't ask me to pick ONE of those!! It also happens to be the verse Becca Feeken chose to be in the Scripture 4 set at ODBD. I was thinking of and praying for Becca and her family as I made these cards. Becca is pretty well known in rubberstamping blog land, being a part of many design teams for stamp craft companies and with her blog - Amazing Paper Grace. Her husband recently passed away. Tho we celebrate that he is home with our Lord with no more struggles, illness or pain, I pray for strength and courage for Becca and her family as they adjust to his physical absence in their daily life. This makes me think of the Matthew West song "Save a Place for me".

Stamps: ODBD-Scripture 4 Ink: Versafine-Vintage Sepia, TH Distress Ink-Brick Red (sponging) Paper: Prima Marketing, DCWV Other: Spellbinders-Classic Ovals, Big Scallops; Autumn Ribbon-JoAnns; Stickles

ODBDSLC35 Dies and Punches

The Shining Light Challenge this week over at Our Daily Bread Designs Blog is to choose one of their top 3 challenges to make a card with. I chose "Dies or Punches" though I used both on my card. I had some new punches that I couldn't wait to use knowing they'd go well with some die cut flowers I wanted to make!

I just came home from spending a few weeks with my folks in Iowa. My Mom is a big crafter and stamper, one who played a big roll in my addiction with rubber stamps & card making : ) While there, she had me making scrunchy flowers with her Dahlia flower dies. I had only read of the technique and never tried it before. Nothing like getting together with another stamper to get motivated to try new things!!

I had to try making them with my Blossoms 2 dies now that I'm home. To age/distress/darken the red cardstock, I stamped it with the Amazing Grace Hymn stamp before using the dies then I sponged more ink around the edges before assembling the flowers. It's not as easy to "scrunch" cardstock versus copy paper weight or tissue paper, they're a little stiff but it gives them a different look. Gold Stickles were added to the centers to add some sparkle.

Rather than layer the Labels 4 die cuts with the verse, I made a frame using 2 dies to put around the verse that was stamped directly onto the designer paper base. I really like the light pattern on the paper for this card and had fun putting it all together.

Stamps: ODBD - Scripture collection 4, Amazing Grace Hymn

Ink: TH Distress Ink-Frayed Burlap (flowers, edging), VersaFine Vintage Sepia (verse)

Other: Spellbinders Labels 4, Blossoms 2; Martha Stewart Arch Lattice, Leafy vine punch ; Gold Stickles, Pop dots

SNTODBD19 Don't worry

The Our Daily Bread Designs Stamping In Time: On Assignment Challenge 19 (SNTODBD19) for this week is a movement theme. "You can choose movement via techniques and images that give the look of movement or create a card with actual movement. Some card ideas would be the Twist, waterfall, Surprise Pop up, T-slide, and Suspension cards to name a few. Also, for images, think butterflies, birds, cars, people...etc, that give the look of movement or motion."

I haven't attempted any of the card styles with movement before so I checked out the tutorials over at Splitcoaststampers in their resource area. The Swing or flip-flop card seemed quick and the instructions easy to follow. Here's my attempt.

Card Front

Opening...

The "inside" panel has white space to write a personal message.

This was a fun card to make. I'm sure it won't be the last for me of this style! Notes for next time: If not using heavy double sided paper, glue sheets together BEFORE making the card. Nothing like trying to join two separate (imperfect) cards (their sides, folds, window) together to make one...ugh!

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs-Don't Worry Ink: VersaFine-Vintage Sepia Paper: BoBunny Other: Tombow markers, Prismacolor pencils, Sakura Stardust pen, Spellbinders Labels 4, ribbon, charm

ODBDSLC31 Wing It - God's Peace

This week's Shining Light Challenge 31 over at the Our Daily Bread Design Blog is to "Wing It". "Include anything with wings on your creations...this can be birds, angels, butterflies, bugs, etc. It need not be your image...it can be embellishments or on your paper." I couldn't wait to break out another new set for me, Don't Worry to make something for this challenge!

I stamped the Chicory flower twice, colored with Tombow markers and carefully cut them out to be able to arrange them as desired. The butterfly is colored with the same blue marker but in layers to slightly darken the color. I then used the Clear Stardust pen to add some sparkle on the butterfly and some dimension on the centers of the flowers! I love that pen! : ) The patterned paper behind the sentiment and the top portion of the card has tiny glitter dots on it so I added a stripe of Stickles to the faux ribbon on the paper for more sparkle and to tie it all together.

I love this paper from DCWV - Garden Party stack. The stripe paper and doily are part of the lighter background paper. For this card I thought the light top part needed a dark border also. To add the dark background frame around the top portion of the card, I cut the dark paper the same width as the lighter paper, then I cut in 1/8" from the edge on both sides of the lighter paper, from the top just down to the faux ribbon/stitching line. I really like the result here!

Stamps-ODBD Don't Worry, Peace (sentiment) Ink: Versafine-Vintage Sepia

Paper: DCWV-Garden Party Other: Tombow markers, Sakura Stardust pen-clear, Spellbinders-Labels 4, Stickles-Cinnamon, foam tape

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

SNTODBD17 Amazing Grace

The Stamping in Time 17 technique challenge over at Our Daily Bread is Emboss Resist. I haven't used a resist technique in a long time so I didn't want to pass up this inspiring challenge. Two types of resist were used on this card. The flowers were stamped using Versamark on regular paper (110lb) and embossed with White Detail powder. I know Dogwoods don't usually have much color but to make them show up, since I used white powder on white paper, I couldn't resist coloring them. I also traced outside the embossing to help the image pop.

The words to Amazing Grace were stamped using Clear Resist Ink on white glossy paper. Ink was sponged on, making the words pop thru.

I'm having fun playing here but I really need to get out to enjoy the beautiful sunny day. They have been a rare occurance this past summer and now we are into fall here in AK. It's in the 60s and clear so a great day for the dog and I to go for a hike. Hope everyone has a joyous day! : )

Stamps: Our Daily Bread Designs-Amazing Grace, Grow in Grace

Ink: Ranger Clear Resist Ink, Versamark, Kaleidacolor-Fresh Green, Tombow markers

Accessories: Ranger White Detail Embossing Powder, Martha Stewart Edger-Doily Lace, Ribbon, Blue Moon (?) Charm (Walmart/JoAnns)