For You Faux Patina Card

Hello and happy September 1st! I'm always happy when September arrives because that means Fall isn't too far behind. Today is also the start of a new challenge at Simply Create Too and this month the theme is Ribbon and Buttons. The challenge runs through September 29th! You can find all the challenge details and design team inspiration HERE. I hope you will play along!

For my card I decided to use the Faux Patina technique with a button embossing folder by Darice. If this technique is new to you click HERE for a video tutorial. The ink colors used include: Crumb Cake, Soft Sky, Pool Party, Bermuda Bay, Lost Lagoon and Island Indigo all by Stampin' Up! and Tumbled Glass distress ink by Ranger. The embossing powder is by Recollections and the color is Champagne. It's more subtle than gold but I like the way it looks with the colors. The finished faux patina panel was matted to a piece of Island Indigo cardstock and then some retired Pool Party ribbon was wrapped around flat. A stitched die cut square was matted to Island Indigo and then a For You die cut from Bermuda Bay cardstock was adhered and then added to the front with dimensionals. To add some sparkle five sequins were added and that's it. If you've never tried this technique I hope you will give it a try, it's a lot of inky fun. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Challenges entered:

• 4 Crafty Chicks: Anything Goes
• Crafting with Friends: Anything Goes

Gold Butterfly For You Card

It's time to say goodbye to August and that makes me HAPPY! I wanted to make one more card for this month and had some time this afternoon to make this Gold Butterfly For You Card.  I combined the Tall & Skinny Sketch at Mojo Monday with the Tic Tac Toe challenge at The Paper Players. The middle row down was used to create this card and that includes: Circle, Embossing and Mint Macaroon. The finished size of this card is 3.5" x 6".

Most of the supplies for this card are by Stampin' Up! unless noted, here is the ingredient list:

• Paper: Very Vanilla cardstock, gold textured cardstock by Recollections and patterned paper from the Pretty Petals paper stack. 
• Stamps: Kinda Eclectic and Bitty Banners 
• Inks & coloring: Gold emboss powder and Mint Macaroon stampin' pad.
• Other Stuff: Big Shot, polka dot embossing folder, heat gun, ribbon by Decorative Trim (Hobby Lobby in the sewing section), Bitty Butterfly punch, stitched circle steel dies by My Favorite Things and stampin' dimensionals. 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Using Texture at Tuesday Throwdown

Happy Tuesday! This week at Tuesday Throwdown we would like to see texture on your project. We are sponsored by Lawn Fawn, they are a small company from Southern California that specializes in crafting products that are fun and lively. Unfortunately my stash doesn't include any Lawn Fawn products, so I created a card using Texture Paste and Gelatos. We would love for you to join us this week!

This was my first time to use both Gelatos and Texture Paste. The supplies have been hanging around in my stash unused until I found the courage to try something new. I watched lots of videos before attempting this process on my own. It wasn't difficult but does require more patience. The down side is you have to allow for drying time between steps, so this definitely doesn't make a quick and easy card.

To create this card I really didn't have a plan other than the colors and products. There is a torn strip of text paper on the base layer of mixed media paper that I cover with Gesso. I had hoped the Gesso would cover the ivory color of the paper, but it didn't. It's most obvious to the top right where the lighter color of Gelatos were applied. At the end I decided to add the white silhouette die cut by Spellbinders and wished I had used less texture into the middle of the card. The stencil used is called Dot Fade by Tim Holtz and that's pretty much it. All in all, it was a lot of fun and nice to create something different.

This Textured Card is entered into the Anything Mixed Media/Creative/Inky Goes Challenge at We Love to Create.

 

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!

Celebrate Fourth of July Card

When it comes to making cards to celebrate Independence Day, I only make a few. I send them to close family only. My stamp collection for this holiday is pretty much nonexistent. I do however have a good selection of patterned papers. To create this Celebrate Fourth of July Card I used the sketch at Tuesday Morning Sketches designed by my crafty friend Jessi Fogan. I did a quick search and noticed several cards made using the retired Celebrate Today stamp from the Perfectly Penned stamp set by Stampin' Up!, so that's what I used. It's been in my collection for at least three years and doesn't get used that often. This seemed like the perfect card to dust it off. I stamped the ready made tag with the sentiment and two stars from a very old sale-a-bration stamp set. I adhered everything together, added the gingham ribbon and three silver sequins for a little sparkle. That's it!

This Celebrate Fourth of July Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch
• Cards in Envy: Red, White and Blue
• Retro Rubber: Tie It On/Ribbon or Twine 
• Crafty Gals Corner: Red, White and Blue

Yellow Flower Feel Better Card

Hello! The ColourQ challenge this week features three of my favorite colors: Purple, Green and Yellow. Therefore, I knew I had to play along. This Yellow Flower Feel Better Card was made for three challenges. I added embossing to join in on the challenge at 4 Crafty Chicks and the theme at Crafting by Designs is April Showers bring May Flowers. Most all of the supplies on my handmade card are by Stampin' Up!, except the scalloped circle die by Spellbinders. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of your day!  

Bright Blossoms Thanks Card

Good evening! I have a really quick post to share a card I finished for The Paper Players challenge. The challenge is to make a thank you card using spring colors or images. One of my favorite spring colors is yellow. I used the Bright Blossoms stamp set by Stampin' Up! and the patterned paper is from the retired Summer Smooches collection. The bright colors in this paper just make me happy. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful night and pleasant tomorrow!!!

My Bright Blossoms Thanks Card is also entered into the following challenges:

• Crafting by Design: Anything Goes
• Crafty Ribbons: Anything Goes with Ribbon

Fresh Prints DSP Sneak Peek Card

The last day of the year is almost over! I hope you had a wonderful 2013 and I wish you the best for 2014. This Thinking of You Card was made with almost all new supplies by Stampin' Up!. I really love the colors in the new Fresh Prints DSP (132996) it will be available starting January 3rd and although the Serene Silhouettes stamp set (127324) has been around for awhile, it is new to me. The sentiment stamp is from the Sassy Salutations set (132070) and the butterfly is from the Papillon Potpourri stamp set (132058). Other supplies used include: Bitty Butterfly punch (129406), corner rounder, 1/4" stitched Real Red Grosgrain ribbon (126875), Classic Stampin' Pads in Real Red (126949), Crumb Cake (126975) and Coastal Cabana (131175). Thanks for stopping by and have a terrific evening and pleasant tomorrow!

My Fresh Prints DSP Sneak Peek Card is entered into the following challneges:

• Make It Monday: Anything Goes
• The Squirrel and The Fox: Anything Goes
• Scrap-Creations: Something New
• Cuttin' and Stampin': Anything Goes using Something New
• Creative Craft Challenge 2: Anything Goes

Indigo Bird Card

Today was cloudy and windy here in Oklahoma. There is a cold front moving in that will drop our temperatures for the next week.  It's fine by me! The cooler weather makes it feel more like the holidays. Plus it's always a good excuse to spend more time in my craft room!

This afternoon I decided to play along with the Tuesday Morning Sketches challenge and I made this Indigo Bird Card. I had a hard time deciding what to use for my focal point and the little bird from the Polka Dot Pieces stamp set was the winner by elimination. The patterned paper is from last years Orchard Harvest dsp by Stampin' Up! The only thing I changed on the sketch is I flipped the three embellishments to the opposite top side. The patterned paper at the bottom of the card was too busy and the dots really didn't show up. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful night and pleasant tomorrow!

My Indigo Bird Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch
• Crafting for all Seasons: Stitching Real/Faux
• Ooh La La Creations: Stitching
• Sweet Stamps: Anything Goes
• Make It Monday: Anything Goes

Vampire Bunny Halloween Card

Well... I thought I was done with Halloween but I remembered I had this Vampire Bunny digital image by Rick St. Dennis and decided to make one more card. The layout for this Vampire Bunny Halloween Card comes from the Mojo Monday sketch designed by Julee Tilman. My focal image is rectangle and the sketch shows a square but other than that I followed the sketch closely. Half of the patterned paper is from last years stash (spider web & diamond pattern by K & Company) and the rest is from this year (plaid and orange by DCWV). I colored the vampire bunny with my Copic markers and used the Teeny Tiny Wishes Happy Halloween sentiment stamp by Stampin' Up! A little black ribbon and four gemstones and this card was done. Thanks for stopping by and have a terrific night and pleasant tomorrow!

My Vampire Bunny Halloween Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Mojo Monday: Sketch
• Make My Monday: Halloween
• Shopping Our Stash: Halloween
• Try it on Tuesday: Halloween
• Use it Tuesday: Creatures 

Faux Patina Card

Today I tried another new to me technique called Faux Patina. I was prompted by the challenge at The Technique Twist to give it a try. It was a lot of fun to mix and play around with inks. I embossed Whisper White cardstock with a Crumb Cake inked Modern Mosaic embossing folder and then applied Island Indigo, Old Olive, and Early Espresso inks. The final step was adding the gold embossing powder. For detailed directions, here is a link to a tutorial. The base of my card is Natural cardstock stamped with the En Francais stamp in Early Espresso. I inked the edges of all papers with Crumb Cake for an antiqued look. The final touches were the addition of the Soft Suede ribbon and the Just for You label from the Label Love stamp set. I've always struggled when it comes to tying ribbon. I found a really short demonstration that helped me. Maybe now I won't be scared to use ribbon. All supplies used on this Faux Patina Card are by Stampin' Up!. Thanks for stopping by!

My Faux Patina Card is entered into the following challenges:

• The Technique Twist: Faux Patina
• Divas by Design: Anything Goes
• Tammy's Scrapin Corner: Anything Goes
• Natalie and Amy: Embossing
• Make It Monday: Anything Goes

 

Enamel Butterfly Birthday Card

I'm really excited to share this Enamel Butterfly Birthday Card with you! It features a new to me technique called embossed enamel. I was admiring another crafters card last week and she used this technique and I immediately knew I had to try it. Here is the link to a tutorial from Splitcoaststampers. The technique combines water coloring, stamping and embossing. It was a lot of fun and I may have a new addiction. The enamel finish is super shiny and this technique could be used on multiple different project types. I did have to make a run to the craft store for the ultra thick embossing enamel and I found it Hobby Lobby. Thanks for stopping by and enjoy your day!


My Enamel Butterfly Birthday Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Flutter by Wednesday: Anything Goes with Butterfly or Fairy
• Seize the Birthday: Birthday Anything Goes
• Sweet Stampin': Got the Blues
• Allsorts: Butterflies
• CCEE Stampers: Birthday Card

 

Enamel Butterfly Birthday Card Supplies*:

• Paper: Basic Black, Island Indigo and Very Vanilla card stock, Modern Medley dsp and Venetian Romance dsp.
• Stamps: Label Love stamp set and hostess Morning Meadow stamp set.
• Inks and Colouring: Classic stampin' pads in Island Indigo, Night of Navy and Soft Suede, VersaMark Jet Black ink and Black emboss powder.
• Other Stuff: EK Success butterfly punch, Heat Tool, Ultra Thick Embossing Enamel by Ranger, Artisan Label punch, Cricut machine (circles), black glitter tape by Recollections, sale-a-bration Island Indigo ribbon, black candy dots and stampin' dimensionals.

*All supplies by Stampin' Up! unless noted.

Cupcake Fluffles Birthday Card

Good morning! Last night I was playing in my craft room and I combined several challenges to come up with this Cupcake Fluffles Birthday Card. The challenges are:

• Tuesday Morning Sketches: Sketch
• Get Inky!: Cakes, Cakes, and Cupcakes
• Oldie but A Goodie: Spots and Stripes (stamps & paper)
• Just Inspirational: Ribbons
• Everybody-Art: Happy Birthday

It's a little sad that I've had this Fluffles stamp by Stampendous! for over a year and I had never inked it up. So, I decided it was time to put it to use. The cupcake liner part of the image was paper pieced with a striped paper. I used white Tulip puffy paint and topped it with fine glitter by Martha Stewart Crafts and then used my heat gun to puff it up. Fluffles was colored with Copic markers and I added some Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details to the brim of his party hat. The patterned papers are from the Color Crush 6 x 6 paper pad by American Crafts. The card stock colors are Whisper White, Primrose Petals, Lucky Limeade, and Blushing Bride all by Stampin' Up!. I decided to use a gray ribbon to match Fluffles and the finishing touch was the Happy Birthday sentiment by Hero Arts. Thanks for stopping by and have a terrific day!

Crafting buddy update: My crafting buddy is continuing to get better and he should be able to come home from the vet today. I will definitely have to get a part-time job to pay for the bill but as long as he is healthy it's worth every dollar spent. Our furry felines are our children. My hubby and I weren't able to have children so our fur babies mean the world to us. It's wonderful the special place animals have in our lives. They just make us smile.

Koala You're So Sweet Card

Good evening! We had a wonderful weekend and I hope you did too. Yesterday I found a fun sketch from The Sweet Stop and I created this Koala You're So Sweet Card to play along. The image is a colored digi called Kiwi Koala's Watermelon by Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I sponged on the clouds using two different sizes of scallop circle punches and bashful blue (retired) ink by Stampin' Up!. The patterned paper is from American Crafts and the ribbon is from Offray. I heat embossed the sentiment with white embossing powder. The sentiment is from the Thankful Accents stamp set by Verve Stamps.  The final touch was three soft sky colored Candy Dots by Stampin' Up!. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week!

My Koala You're So Sweet Card is entered into the following challenges:

• The Sweet Stop: Sketch
• Crazy 4 Challenges: Picnic
• Chocolate, Coffee & Cards: Animals
• Dream Valley: Summer Days
• Make It Monday: Anything Goes 

One Day at a Time Card

Good evening! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Mine went by way too quickly! The weekend was spent running errands and doing laundry. We did rent a couple of movies and I spent a little time in my craft room while my hubby was out mowing the lawn. All in all it was a pretty uneventful weekend.

This One Day at a Time Card was made for a family friend who recently lost her husband. I bought the sentiment stamp from Verve Stamps and I had her in mind when I made my purchase. Sometimes when we are faced with a tragedy it's the small things people do for us that make a difference. I'm hoping this card will bring a small smile during a difficult time. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

You may notice the clouds on the image panel are a little sparse... well here in Oklahoma clouds are rare in summer so, I kept the sky mostly blue.

My One Day at a Time Card is entered into the following challenges:

• Digi Haven: Any Animal
• Hiding in My Craft Room: Freestyle
• Crafting When We Can: Floral
• Make It Monday: Anything Goes
• Catch The Bug: Bingo (Sparkle, Summer Image, Choice/ribbon)

One Day at a Time Card Supplies:

• Paper: Pink folded card by The Paper Company, African Daisy card stock by Bazzill Basics, Lucky Limeade card stock by Stampin' Up!, yellow glitter card stock by DCWV and Hello Summer collection patterned paper by Echo Park.
• Stamps: Tall Flower Bear image by Bugaboo and sentiment stamp by Verve Stamps.
• Ink & Coloring: VersaMark stamp pad, white Zing! embossing powder, classic stampin' pads in Bashful Blue and Lucky Limeade (both retired), Copic markers (E15, E23, E31, E55, R22, R32, R35, YG06, YG17) and Orange Peel and Lemon Ice Stickles.
• Other Stuff: Heat Tool, Bitty Butterfly punch, Daffodil Delight ribbon, and basic rhinestone jewels all by Stampin' Up!.

Mixed Bunch Sympathy Card

It's never a good thing when you get a phone call that someone has passed away. My brother's brother-in-law was hit while riding his motorcycle yesterday and didn't survive. He leaves behind his wife, and two sons five and eighteen years old. It really breaks my heart for their family. Again it's a reminder of how quick it can happen. I'll never forget the Tuesday I lost my sister. There was no warning! In the matter of minutes our lives changed forever. The grief journey continues for our family and it's not a journey you want others to experience.

This Mixed Bunch Sympathy Card was made using the sketch from The Paper Players. I've rotated the sketch to accommodate a sentiment that I stamp inside the card. I'm trying to decide if the patterned paper is "too much" for a sympathy card??? Please let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by!

My Mixed Bunch Sympathy Card is entered into the following challenges:

• The Paper Players: SKETCH
• Pause Dream Enjoy: Anything Goes
• Crafty Calendar: Things with Wings

Mixed Bunch Sympathy Card Supplies*:

• Paper: Whisper White and Summer Starfruit card stock and Island Indigo patterned paper from the Sycamore Street sale-a-bration dsp.
• Stamps: Mixed Bunch stamp set, Betsy's Blossoms stamp set and sentiment from the Simply Sketched hostess stamp set.
• Inks: Classic stampin' pads in Baked Brown Sugar, Raspberry Ripple and Summer Starfruit.
• Other Stuff: Big shot, Top Note die, Blossom punch, 1" and 3/4" circle punches, Island Indigo ribbon from sale-a-bration, basic pearls, and stampin' dimensionals.

*All supplies by Stampin' Up!

Print Poetry Card

Hello! I hope you had a fantastic weekend. We celebrated a couple of birthdays with a trip to The Cheesecake Factory. Yum! I had the Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake, one of my favorites. It's always hard to decide which flavor to order, they all sound sooo good.

Now, onto my card....This Print Poetry Card was made using the Mojo Monday sketch designed by Julee Tilman. The Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack is available until May 31st when the Stampin' Up! Spring catalog expires. I love this paper and it coordinates with the the 2012-2014 In Colors. The sentiment is from the sale-a-bration Vintage Verses stamp set. When creating this card I chose the blue colour scheme to play along with Allsorts True Blue challenge and I'm entering this card in the anything goes challenge at 613 Avenue Create. Well, that about sums it up. I hope you have a terrific day and thanks for stopping by!

*All supplies by Stampin' Up!

Floral Anniversary Card

Good morning! This week I have the privilege of being a guest designer for 'ABC' Challenges. The theme is Wedding or Anniversary Cards. I chose to make an anniversary card for my brother and his wife. Their anniversary is next week. When they got married their colours were red and black, so I took that into consideration when picking my colour scheme. I used Bravo Burgundy, Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, and Very Vanilla colours to create this Floral Anniversary Card. The rose, by Inkadinkado, was stamped on watercolor paper by Stampin' Up! and coloured in using a blender pen and classic stampin' pads in Bravo Burgundy, Primrose Petals, Garden Green, and Wild Wasabi. I did a little stitching, added a few pearls and some ribbon for detail. It ended up having a very classic look and it was a lot of fun to create. I hope you have time to play along with 'ABC' Challenges. Thanks for stopping by and Happy Friday!

Fleur-de-lis Congratulations Card

Hello! Hopefully you enjoyed your weekend. I have a quick post to share my latest card. This Fleur-de-lis Congratulations Card was made using this weeks sketch at Sketchy Friday. I really LOVE the layout! I didn't have any digital stamps to accommodate the small image windows, so I used a traditional rubber stamp. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful week!

Fleur-de-lis Congratulations Card Supplies:

• Paper: Early Espresso, Pool Party, and Very Vanilla card stock by Stampin' Up! and Reunion collection patterned papers by MME.
• Stamps: Fleur-de-lis stamp by Recollections and Itty Bitty Banners stamp set by Stampin' Up!
• Inks: Classic stampin' pad in Early Espresso.
• Other Stuff: Fiskars deckle scissors, Postage Stamp punch, Bitty Banners Framelits, Soft Suede 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Basic Pearls, and stampin' dimensionals all by Stampin' Up!.

My card is entered into the following challenges:

1. Sketchy Friday: Sketch
2. Robyn's Fetish: Use Ribbon or Twine
3. Make It Monday: Anything Goes

Monochromatic Teal Blue Card

To find inspiration for a card creation, I frequently search other blogs and Feline Playful for current challenges. There are numerous challenges on a daily basis to find the perfect creative inspiration. Tonight my inspiration comes from the Dynamic Duos Challenge to use Island Indigo and Pool Party which makes it a monochromatic teal blue colour scheme. I really enjoyed working with both these colours and couldn't wait to share my Monochromatic Teal Blue Card on my blog. I'd like to thank Vicki Burdick for inspiring me to use a new sentiment stamp from the Vintage Verses stamp set available during Stampin' Up!'s Sale-a-bration.  The stamp looks great with the Lacy Brocade embossing folder that I inked up with Island Indigo. To finish off the card I heat embossed the bitty butterfly with Pool Party embossing powder and added a few basic jewels for a little sparkle. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and I hope you like it too. Well, I hope you have a wonderful night/day and thanks for stopping by!!!

Monochromatic Teal Blue Card Supplies*:

• Paper: Island Indigo, Pool Party, and Whisper White card stock.
• Stamps: Vintage Verses sale-a-bration stamp set and Papillon Potpourri stamp set.
• Inks and Colouring: Classic stampin' pad in Island Indigo and Pool Party stampin' emboss powder.
• Other Stuff: Scallop Trim Border punch, Lacy Brocade embossing folder, Big Shot, Bitty Butterfly punch, Island Indigo sale-a-bration ribbon, corner rounder, decorative corner punch by Creative Memories, basic jewels, and stampin' dimensionals.

*All supplies by Stampin' Up! unless noted.

My card is entered into the following challenges:

1. Dynamic Duos: Colour Challenge
2. A Gem of A Challenge: Add a Bow
3. Lady Anne's Challenge: Use a Sentiment
4. Paper Playtime: Use a Sentiment

 

Embossed Blossom Card

Hello! I hope you had a great day! I've been rearranging and organizing my craft room. Every inch of the floor has been vacuumed and everything dusted. It's amazing how fast everything goes from clean to cluttered. Oh, well! Later this evening I took a break and made this Embossed Blossom Card for a couple of challenges. The crumb cake card stock was dry embossed using the fancy fan embossing folder by Stampin' Up! and the detail on the perfect plum blossom was heat embossed using a translucent pearlustre embossing powder by Zing!. The crumb cake tulle was accented with a raspberry ripple bow that I stitched in place. I hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by!!!

 This Embossed Blossom Card is entered into the following challenges:

• The Paper Players: Sketch challenge
• Sunday Stamps: Color challenge 
• Forever Friends: Use ribbon or lace
• Pretty Little Ribbon: Flowers and ribbon