Sandie's Card Garden: July 2013

Thursday, July 25, 2013

A Christmas Wreath...in July?

Yes! Another Christmas card in July!

I just got a new die (the olive leaves) from Sweetstamps and had to try it out. I got inspired by a card on their blog made by one of their DT members...Thank you, Irena! It has a similar wreath on it that I really, really liked so....I said, "I'll do that!" And here it is:

I may add a tiny sentiment tag that says "Merry Christmas" coming out from under the jingle bells...haven't decided yet. I kinda think it is busy enought already.

I don't usually take pictures of my cards "in-process" but I really liked how the card looked at this stage. I used the paper I had die-cut the olive leaves from as a stencil and made a base layer of leaves in 2 green inks. I could have stopped there I guess, but the plan was to use my new die, so I continued.

After making a circle of leaves, all attached with spray adhesive, I added a couple small jingle bells and tiny red bow for an accent. I'm liking that textured cs too!

Ingredients:

dies- Sweetstamps "Olive Branches" & "Elegant Leaves"

& Spellbinders "Card Creator, Fancy Ribbon Threader"

inks- Memento "Bamboo Green" & Stampabilities "Lime Green"

Adhesives- Aleene's "Tacky Spray" & Zots

embellishments- ribbons, bells...from my gigantic stash!

all card stock is also from my stash and scrap box

Challenges:

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - #127 "Christmas Greenery"

http://craftingforallseasons.blogspot.com - #57 "Christams in July"

http://craftcreatoins.blogspot.com - "Die Cut Shapes"

http://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com - #111 "I don't need more" (embellies!)

http://pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.ca - #67 "Photo inspiration: Christmas"

http://lexiscreations.blogspot.com - #95 "Christmas in July"

http://adieforasketch.blogspot.com - #14 Sketch (turned upside down)

Thanks for stopping by today! Any and all comment are SO appreciated!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Using the "Dryer Sheet" Technique....Easy & Pretty!

Hello, Blogger Friends! I've got a busy summer going here...haven't been in my craft room as much as usual. But I did manage to come up with a few "quick" cards. Using a pre-colored digital stamped image makes everything alot faster!

I saw the "dryer sheet" technique used on several beautiful samples on the Sweetstamps challenge blog and decided it looked interesting! Had to try it for myself! I also watched a tutorial on it (I don't remember where...sorry!) and that showed how to add glitter so I did that too! That was SO easy...I used spray adhesive on the surface of my image and added the dryer sheet, and after smoothing it down there is a little bit of tackiness between the fibers so if you sprinkle on a little glitter and rub it in a bit it sticks perfectly!

I wasn't too happy with the pictures I took of this card outdoors the other day, so I took a few more in my craft room. This one (above) is a little better, don't you think?

My list of ingredients:

Spellbinders dies - Fleur de Lis Squares

Pre-colored digital image - Doodle Pantry "Poppies-Red"

Bible verse, digi - Doodle Pantry "Psalm 136-1"

Spray adhesive - Aleene's "Tacky Spray"

Card stock - Bazzill white; lt blue & black are from my stash

Bling - EK Success rhinestones

Ultra fine glitter - "Pastel Glitter"

Challenge:

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - July Technique Challenge:

"Dryer Sheet Technique"

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Christmas Card with Vellum

Another "Christmas in July" card...this one using vellum with heat-embossed gold on a lovely frame.

I colored the frame with some pastel Noir markers but the ink didn't take to the vellum too well, got kinda blotchy...but once it dried I like the effect okay...I think.

It is very hard to see but there really IS a layer of vellum on this card!

The gold frame is on it and an oval is cut out of the middle and the ornament is stamped on the cardstock background. I added a "halo" of green in the same oval shape (but bigger) around the ornament for a little added color/interest.

Ingredients:

Stamps - SweetStamps "Elegant Scrollwork Frame",

StampingScrapping "Merry Christmas" (from "Frou Frou" set),

My Heart Stamps for You "Antique Banner"

TPC Studio ornament "Christmas Glamour",

Inks - Ranger/TH Distress Embossing Ink,

Memento "Bamboo Leaves",

Studio G burgundy pigment ink

PSE gold embossing powder

Markers - Spectrum Noir

Card stock - all from my stash

Challenge:

http://SweetStampsblog.blogspot.com - #125 Christmas Parchment (Vellum)

Monday, July 8, 2013

Christmas in July

On a hot, sticky July day here is a little cool breeze of winter!

Lots of snowflakes and a "Merry Christmas"!

Lots of sparkley "icey" glitter, too!

(However, the red hot snowflakes DO seem appropriate for July, don't they?!)

The snowflakes are die cuts I bought as a set...sorry, I don't remember the brand.

The background cs is really a dark navy...I know it kinda looks like black.

The medallion stamp I used is a Clear Dollar Stamps, and I heat-embossed it with white and added a fine glitter while heating...and my experiment worked! The glitter actually fused into the embossing powder and came out very sparkley! I did the same thing on the sentiment, a Stampabilities stamp. The edge border is a Martha Stewart called "Doily Lace"; the die cut for the sentiment is Spellbinders "Labels 4". Some "Star Dust" Stickles and a few rhinestones...and we're all done!

Note the Stickles on the white border; they're hard to see in the photo but look great up close and carry through the "icey, sparkley" theme quite nicely. The white border is actually on the back page of the card.

I'm entering this card in:

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - Challenge #124 "Snow"

http://craftingwhenwecanchallenges.blogspot.com - Challenge #48 "Christmas in July"

http://thepaperplayers.blogspot.com - Challenge #153 "Christmas in July"

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Happy Fourth of July!

Yes, Happy 4th of July to you all!

Thanking God today for this great country I live in and the many freedoms we still enjoy. But the values and standards we live by have been eroding over the years and I am reminded that we all need to pray for the USA, it's leaders and it's people. Word Art Wednesday has chosen for their Bible verse this week

Psalm 33:12 "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance." ....very apt. Excellent reminder!

I did not use their artwork this time, instead I used I Peter 5:7, which tells us not to worry but trust God, also a wonderful reminder for uncertain times!

Ingredients:

Spellbinders dies - "Labels 15" & "Fleur de Lis Squares"

Stamps - ODBD "Scripture Series 3" & All Night Media "Classic Rose Frame"

colored with colored pencils and Memento markers

Red Ribbon & Twine - from my stash

Bling - EK Success

Challenges:
http://OurDailyBreadDesignsblog.blogspot.com - #160 Patriotic/Red, Wht, Blue
http://WordArtWednesday.blogspot.com - #87 Anything Goes
http://clearitoutchallenge.blogspot.com - Make someone's Day + Sparkle
http://pileitonchallenge.blogspot.com - #26 Bling
http://shoppingourstash.blogspot.com/ - #108 Red, White, Blue/Flag Colors
http://scrapbitzcopics.ning.com/group/cmccopicchallengegroup - #71 Colors of Summer
http://TuesdayMorningSketches.blogspot.com - Sketch

Thanks for stopping by today!

I hope you all have a happy, safe and blessed 4th!

Monday, July 1, 2013

An Old Fashioned Wish

Good morning, blogger friends!

Today is the last day I can enter the "Roses" challenge at SweetStamps...so here goes!

I have combined four of the SweetStamps stamps...my favorite is the "Corner Roses"...one of my newest stamps! But the frame stamp is also a favorite...I've used that one quite a bit lately! The design lends itself easily to adding pearls or rhinestones for an elegant touch.