Gate-Fold Guy Card

Good morning, friends! And happy Monday!

Anyone who has visited my blog often knows that I prefer creating lovely feminine cards far more than making masculine ones. I really struggle with guy cards...they never seem "done"...probably because I can't add bows, lace, sequins, flowers and "fluff"!

Well, yesterday afternoon I was working with a sketch and wanted to make it into a gate-fold card. That seemed complicated enough, so I chose non-feminine DP and left off the frills.

I dug out an old 6x6 paper pack by Webster's Pages called "Ladies & Gents" so all the colors coordinate perfectly...then I just had to find inks to match. My base cardstock is Paper Studio heavy weight ivory and the inks I used are: FSJ "Coffee Bean", Stampabilities "Lime", Studio G "Aqua" & "Turquoise". To get the right depth of color I used my Misti stamping platform and restamped the pale aqua several times.

The "Happy Birthday" sentiment on the front is an Inkadinkadoo stamp, the watch is from a set called "Time Travelers Memories" by Prima, the compass is Sandylion "Are We There Yet?"

And on the inside of the card the sentiment is a SweetStamps stamp, "Old Fashioned Wish", the Bible verse is from Our Daily Bread, "Scripture Series 3".

This was an interesting card to make, but as usual, took me far longer to make than it should have!

I'd like to enter it in a few challenges:

http://cheerfulsketcheschallenge.blogspot.nl - April Sketch

http://cropstop.blogspot.com - April #38 AG

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #330-331

Thanks for checking out my blog today! Come back soon!

Corner Floral: Best Wishes

I know that Spring WILL get here in Michigan some day soon, but today is cold, windy, grey and downright yucky! We had snow and sleet this morning, and now have warnings for ice tonight. So, a card with lovely flowers is much nicer to look at today...while trying to wait patiently for Spring! 

Here is the list of most of what I used to make this one:

Stamps: Stampabilities "Vintage Flourish", Stampin' Up "Best Wishes"

Ink: FSJ "Coffee Bean"

Punches: McGill "Floriano" & "Birch"

Die: Sizzix/Tim Holtz "Tattered Flower Garland"

Cardstock & Glass Beads are from my stash

Challenges I'm entering:

http://cropstop.blogspot.com - #38 AG

http://houseofcardschallenge.blogspot.com - April: Floral Corner + colors

http://www.scrapyland-blog.com - #87 AG

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge - "Add Some Texture" (beads)

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #330-331 AG

Thanks for stopping by today! 

I hope you are enjoying sunshine and warm temps!

Have a great weekend, my friends!

'Get Well' with Some Bling!

I gave this card to an older lady from my church today who recently fell and broke her hip. My mom did that several years ago and I know how disheartened she was for a while until she was really able to get around well again. And I know this lady loves my cards! So I just had to make a special one for her...with plenty of bling!

My list of ingredients-

Print Cardstock: K&Company "Julianne"

Ivory cardstock: Paper Studio, heavyweight

Die: Spellbinders "Labels 29"

Punch: Martha Stewart "Frond"

Stamps: Hero Arts "Get Well", Woodware USA "Leafy Swirls"

Inks: Memento "Bamboo Leaves", FSJ "Coffee Bean", Stampabilities "Lime", Excelsior "Green"

Embellishments: StampingScrapping flowers "Gardenia" & "Closed Rose Buds", KaiserCraft Rhinestones, generic sheer ribbon

Challenges-

https://craft-deebowz.blogspot.com - January Challenge

http://www.cropstop.com/blog - #36 Jan. Challenge

http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.com - #203 "Bling's the Thing"

http://letscreatechallenges.blogspot.com - #133 AG

http://www.scrapyland-blog.com - #82 AG

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge - "Add a Sentiment"

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #318-319

Using a Sketch

Good morning!

Last night I made a fairly quick card using a sketch I found on the CAS(E) this Sketch blog. Here's the lovely sketch, then my card. I must admit, I'm not sure I allowed enough "white space" on this card for it to be considered CAS...but thanks for the inspiration anyway!

Ingredients:

Stamps- "Fern Frond" by Posh Impressions, "Fern" by Prairie Peddler, "Leaf" & "Get Well Soon" by Stampin Up, "Lace Frame" by Hero Arts, "Fleur de Lis" by JustRite 

Inks- Color Box "Bronze", Stampabilities "Lime", Memento "Bamboo Leaves"

Die- Spellbinders "Valiant Honor-CC"

Layered Accents- K&Company watercolor flowers

Generic rhinestones

Cardstock- Paper Studio

Challenges:

http://casethissketch.blogspot.com - #254 Sketch (see above)

http://www.cropstop.com/blog - #36 January Challenge

http://craftycardmakers.blogspot.com - #203 "Bling's the Thing"

http://inkspirationalchallenges.blogspot.com - #152 Photo Inspiration:

(inspired by pink roses and Victorian look)

http://letscreatechallenges.blogspot.com - #133 Anything Goes

http://www.scrapyland-blog.com - #82 Anything Goes

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #318-319 AG

Thanks for taking a peek at my blog and my latest creation!
Have a wonderful week!

You're A Star!

Now who would you send a card like this to? 

I'm trying to decide if this is a birthday card, a congratulations card or maybe just a "you're special" card. I guess I can use it for whatever I want!

I made it because I really liked the sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches AND the color theme at Catch the Bug. (I'm too late to enter the TMS challenge but just HAD to try that sketch!)

Once again I'm rather disappointed with the way my phone camera is distorting the colors I used. Last time it wouldn't capture pinks and reds and now its aquas and blues! This card is really not mint green...it is aqua! Really!

I'm entering this in a few challenges:

http://catchthebugblog.blogspot.com - Color Challenge

http://www.cropstop.com/blog - #30 July (Stickles)

http://daringcardmakers.blogspot.com - String Theory

https://makingmemoriescrafting.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07 - AG, not a square

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge - Seeing Stars

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #292-293 AG

Ingredients:

Card stock - TPS, Georgia Pacific, Studio G

Stamps - FSJ "Star Marquee"

Ink - Memento Tuxedo Black, FSJ Pineapple Smoothie,

Stampabilities Lime green, TH Distress Peacock Feathers

Glitter Glue - Stickles Crystal

Metal charm -Jewelry Basics star

Twine - FSJ black licorice

Think Spring!

Happy Spring!

We have had some lovely warm weather the past couple weeks, but I'm afraid it is "back to reality" today! Cold, gray, rainy...with a possible snow or ice storm tonight! Ahhh, Michigan! Gotta love it!

So my card looks like Spring has arrived anyway! I love to use spring green and lavender together...always makes me think of lilacs! They are definitely a Spring flower!

I made this card for a friend who has a wonderful online craft store: StampingScrapping.com and the leaf stamps* I used are soon to be included in a big Sale she's having. Oh, and the "Color Me" flowers too! The bow was made using my Craft-dee Bows bowmaker.

 Here is the list of what I used in creating this card:

Stamps: *Inkadinkado "Fossil Leaves" (fussy-cut)

Dies: Spellbinders "Valiant Honor", "Fleur de Lis Squares"

Inks: TH Distress "Peeled Paint", Stampabilities "Lime Green"

Flowers: StampingScrapping "Color Me- White"

Cardstock, ribbon & glass beads are from my stash

Challenges I'm entering this card in:

http://wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #222-3 Anything Goes

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - March Anything Goes

http://reasonableribbon.blogspot.ca - #137 Welcome Spring

http://www.scrapyland-blog.com - #38 Think Green
http://craft-deebowz.blogspot.com - March Anything Goes

Thanks for stopping by today!

Painters' Tape Technique

I tried a new technique this evening...using painters' tape to make a textured background in wide undefined bands. I also wanted to try some clear embossing as part of the background, but I used the wrong kind of embossing powder...I grabbed the one for bonding materials not just the plain clear. So I added some very fine glitter to take care of the stickiness. Now I'm glad it worked out that way!

The sparkle and the tape texture show up a bit better in the photo below.

The butterflies are colored with a variety of alcohol markers and have a bit of glitter glue along the wing edges.

Ingredients:

Stamps - Stampabilities "All things are possible", Sky Kids "Butterfly"

Inks - TH Distress Inks, Memento "Tuxedo Black", Top Boss "Embossing"

Embossing Powder - Stampendous "Stamp N' Bond"

Challenges:

http://addictedtocas.blogspot.com - #42 "Sky"

http://sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - July "Painters' Tape Technique"

http://pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.ca - #115 "Photo Inspiration"

http://www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #139 "Anything Goes"

http://www.ipalamountain.com/2014/06/sketchbook-saturday-challenge-125 - #125 Sketch

New Stamping Technique

Good morning!

A few days ago I was puttering in my craft room and came across the monthly challenge at SweetStamps...and decided to try it! It is usually a technique that they want you to try and this month (from March 15 thru April 14) the requested technique is using markers to ink up your stamps. I tried it 2 ways: with alcohol markers and with water based markers. I could not get the alcohol marker method to work because I don't have any spray-on alcohol to remoisturize the "ink" once it has dried (and alcohol marker ink dries fast!). SO...I used my only 2 water-based markers... a nice blue and green. 

And here is the result!

The "swirl" stamp is from Stampabilities called "Vintage Flourish" and the sentiment stamp is from SweetStamps. I also added a little Stickles "Star Dust" to the flourish and a single rhinestone...for a bit of glam.

The markers I used are Promarkers "Aqua" and I brushed the ink on the stamp with the large tips, first one color, then the other...blending it a bit here and there. When that was done I spritzed it with water in my little mini spritzer from Ranger. After it dried I added a bit of sparkley Stickles to parts of the image.

And lastly I stamped the sentiment using Memento Tuxedo Black ink, cropped the whole thing and mounted on a medium blue folded cardstock. Very CAS. Especially the "S"!

I am my worst critic, and even I like this one!

So, thanks, SweetStamps, for the suggestion!

Challenges:

sweetstampsblog.blogspot.com - Inking Stamps with Markers

http://inkspirationalchallenges.blogspot.co.uk - #53 Case Sandie's Card

I chose her card from 3-12-14

(I'm also their GD this week, so not sure I'm allowed to enter a card...

but couldn't resist!)

http://pinspirationalchallenges.blogspot.ca - #101 Photo Inspiration

(I used the colors aqua, blue, green...and the swirls remind me of water/ocean)

http://www.wordartwednesday.blogspot.com - #126 Anything Goes