I liked the faux embossing look of the cards on day 4.   It really got me thinking.  I have so many dies that would make an interesting background.

I decided that I wanted to use my maze dies.

I ended up altering the location of each die so that it gave a diamond look on the background.   I looked for a stamp that had the word AMAZING, but alas I did not have one.  This one came from a stamp set with glasses… hence the looking for you statement.  I figured with the maze, you could be looking for someone.  It was a stretch, but it worked.

Supplies:

A-Mazing Dies from Papertrey Ink
Neenah Solar White Cardstock
Red Cherry Cardstock from My FAvorite Things
Geek if Check Stamp Set from My Favorite Things
Hero Arts White Embossing Powder

Also posted in Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge Anything Goes

I really liked Debbie Hughes card and did indeed check out Pinterest for examples, and WOW, such great paper cutting items.  Many way too complicated for a girl like me, but I did take some inspiration.

I wanted to make something more than a heart shape and decided to do an animal shape.  Since I volunteer at an Animal Rescue, I decided to make a Labrador dog.   I found a silhoutte on line and printed it up and used it to make an outline on my card.  Well it was a little more complicated than I thought.  Besides moving parts around, and cutting more and more shapes the glueing was very tricky and got a blob on the top.  It dried pretty good, but kinda ruined the background.   As you can tell I used a lot of hearts, tools, utensils, a bird, Santa and his sleigh, apple, coffee mugs, a bird, a banana, and two puppies!  You name it.  Small stars for his toes. a knife for his tail.

He still looked somewhat hard to figure out, so I ended up adding a bunch of dots to fill in the blank space.     If I look hard enough, it looks like a dog with Botox lips wearing a turleneck and sunglasses.   Or as my sister said, looks like a dog or an ugly cow.   LOL

I normally would list all the supplies here, but I pulled so many dies out I could not figure out which ones I ended up using.   But a lot of them were Memory Box for those who care.

My lamp made it a little bright but I used Kraft cardstock and black cardstock.   I also used a Pico Embellisher in a dark dark navy color for the dots.

Thanks for looking!!!

Posted in Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – Anything Goes

I really wanted to use my new Avery Elle stamp set.  I am crocheter and wanna be knitter, so this set appealed to me.   It was a bit wider than I wanted to I set the card the opposite direction.

All was going well until the inking.   I used the wrong ink on the middle layer, it was suppose to be the bottom layer, so now I needed a darker color on the bottom.   Then when I put the layers on the card I did not line up the pieces carefully.  So there is a slight zig on the bottom piece.   I guess the card is correctly named…. Darn It.   But despite the errors, I like the card.  I highlighted the yarn with colored pencils so it popped a little bit more.

Supplies:

Neenah White Card Stock
Avery Elle Made with Love Stamp Set
Avery Elle Dotted Borders Die
Distress Ink: Spun Sugar, Pickled Raspberries, Festive Berries
Stampin Up! Colored Pencils

Thanks for looking!!!!

Lordy,   I tried, I really did!  I had this vision in my head.  I could see a wonderful blending of blue embossing powders, giving the illusion of rain.   I pictured, the umbrella as a 2nd color.  I did.  I could see it in my mind.

However the crafting Gods would not let me accomplish it!   First of all, nobody, and I mean nobody sells packs of colored embossing powders.   Michaels is love struck on micro beads and glitter, and woefully short of embossing powders.  I picked thru their pathetic selection of embossing powders.   Ended up with green and blue shades.    Some pearl (which I think are pretty) and some glossy, some flat, certainly someone sells beautiful colors of embossing powders that are no glitter…. sigh!

Then because the background stamp had too much white space, I could not get the umbrella to show up…. then I used distress ink to highlight it.   It looked horrible.  Tossed it away (I did take it out of the trash to use the back side to test ink colors….so not a total waste)

Then I decided to make the umbrella by embossing with the matching colors.   Since I used the foam sheets to raise up the card, I could need to drop the shapes down into the opening.  Just slightly off.  No big deal.  Can hardly tell.

But what sticks out as a sore thumb to me, is the darn glue debacle when putting the word on the card.  Have I mentioned that I am not a fan of Tombo Mono Multi Liquid Glue.   It either never comes out, or squirts everywhere.  Today it was everywhere.   I got glue all over the card.  There are glue noogies all over the bottom.  But what the heck, we must move on.  And must find my matte finish to glue with in the future.

Close up of the umbrella

Supplies:

Neenah White Cardstock
Hero Arts Fresh Cut Raindrops Background Stamp
My Favorite Things Die-namics Layered Umbrella Die
Versamark Ink
WPlus9 Hand Lettered Hello Die
Zing Green Embossing Powder
Recollections Pearl Embossing Powder Tourmaline
Recollections Citron Opaque Embossing Powder
Recollections Pearl Embossing Powder Sapphire
Recollections Opaque Embossing Powder Glacier

Thanks for looking!!!!!

Well here we are at another Online Card Class.  To be honest with you, they do not come our fast enough.  Was all excited all month long waiting for this to start.

Here is my attempt at masking and heat embossing.  WOW!  I never knew you could cover up the versamark and have it still work.  Learned something new!

I hope you enjoy!!!

Supplies:

Flourishes Background Stamp
Versa Mark Ink
Stampin Up Embossing Powders:  Wild Wasbi, Melon Mambo, Pool Party
Ranger Silver Embossing Powder
Neenah Solar White Cardstock
Melon Mambo card stock by Stampin Up!
My Favorite Things Die-Namics Thank You Die set
Corner Chomper

I thought I would try to make a three panel card for the Papertrey Ink Make it Monday Challenge #198.

I was not sure I would do it, but what the heck!  For anyone who knows me (Like my sister) I have this fascination with fruits and veggies.  Not so much to eat them (LOL), but cards of them.   So I pulled out one of my oldies but Goody the Vegetable Garden by Papertrey Ink.

I wanted to put a seed packet inside the card to create a sort of veggie garden gift-card-thingy.   However when i finished my card, and went to go get my seeds, they were flowers.  I swore I had the packets with carrots.  LOL, well since I am not mailing this to anyone….it is fine.

See the lovely flower seed packet.  LOL

I did the bottom panel by putting the quote on vellum and then embossed it.   Then I noticed my seed packet poking out from the bottoms with its ugly underside….yikes…. I put another seed packet over it to make it look prettier.

I only glued the bottom of the seed packet on the card so you can slide the top panel under it so it closes.  It worked out pretty good.

I do like it if I say so myself

Supplies:

October Afternoon Farm Girl Paper pack
Pink Cardstock
Papertrey Ink Garden Variety II Stamps Set and Dies
Papertrey Ink Vegetable Garden Stamp Set and Dies
Clear and Silver Embossing Powder
Versamark Ink
Simon Says Ink Pads:  Green leaf, Beanstock Green, Hot Lips, Burnt Orange, Orange Peel
Hero ARts Mid tone Green Hills Ink Pad
My Favorite Things Die-Namics Stitched Scalloped Edges
Glossy Accents

So I discovered that Laura Bassen was teaching a class at Craftsy.  I am enjoying the class and even though I have seen some of the cards, it was nice to take a longer time to discuss the process and technique.

The technique this time is masking to blend colors.   Using that  post it note tape I was able to mask off paper to make stripes at the end of this card.   It was easy peasy and a fast way to make a nice card for someones birthday!

White Cardstock
Squeezed Lemonade Distress Ink
Spiced Marmalade Distress Ink
Worn Lipstick Distress Ink
Papertrey Ink Think Big #7 Stamp Set
Hero Arts Black Inkpad
Blending Tool
Post-it Note

Posted in the following Challenges

Clean and Simple Pre-Class Gallery

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challenge – Something New

Trying a NEW technique of using floral (or really anything) in the corner instead of making it front and center.   I pulled out some older stamps and found the beautiful morning glory stamp set.  Thought it would be great to stamp in the corner with blue and purples.

I watercolored the flowers playing with the blues and purples distress markers.   I love these things.  AND I WAS THRILLED to hear today that they will be releasing NEW COLORS each month for a year….looking forward to the Cracked Pistachio color in January…. MUST BUY MUST BUY

I played with my new pico embellisher to add some seeds to the center of the flowers.  I love these new pico embellishers.   So many options to use them!!   LOVE it!!!!

Here is a close up of the flowers so you can see the wink of Stella,   Definitely NOT see she my bleed out of my water colors.   LOL

Papertrey Ink Year of FLowers Morning Glories Stamp Set
Papertrey Ink Background Basics: Botanicals Stamp Set
Tim Holtz Watercolor Paper
Hero Arts Black Inkpad
Distress Markers:   Tumbled Glass, Salty Ocean, Shaded Lilac, Seedless Preserves, Squeezed Lemonade, Wild Honey, Pine Needles, Forest Moss, Peeling Paint, Mowed Lawn
irRESISTible Pico Embellisher – Danube Blue
Wink of Stella Clear
Blueberry Cardstock – My Favorite Things
Papertrey Ink Stone Ink Pad

Posted at Simon Says Wednesday Weekly Challenge – Anything New
Posted at Papertrey Ink Make it Monday #196

  Online Card Class Pre-class Gallery

Ok, here is tag 11….. getting there…..

Here is Sharon Harnist tag from day 11

Her technique was to do copic bleeding with refills.   I decided to do distress inks watered down with perfect pearl mist.  You probably cannot see it very well, but the tag has a lot of shimmer.

Instead of a deer head, I decided to add two wonderful deer in all their glory.  I decided to play around with my distress stain sprays using tarnished brass and picket fence (white) sprays to create shades of brass and white on the ribbon.   Because this is a paint, the ribbon dried in a stiff crinkle look that was nice.

Thanks for looking

Supplies

White and shades of green cardstock scraps
Gold Foil paper by DCWV
Gold Glitter paper by DCWV
Distress Ink Picked Raspberry. Festive Berries, Spun Sugar, Worn Lipstick
Impression Obsession Deeer Trio Die
Tim Holtz Holiday Green Dies
Winnie and Walter The Big The Bold the Merry die set
Seam Tape
Picket Fence and Tarnished Brass Distress Spray
Webster Pages Summer Picnic Trim
Perfect Pearls Spray

Well you might have noticed that I skipped over tag 9.  I liked the tag but I have run out of time.   And I really liked tag 10.  I ended up just making a shaker card as the inspiration, not so much her wonderful design.  However I do want that stamp set.  LOL

Heather did an awesome job.  But I took a different spin.

I distress inked the background and then colored the bear and ice berg.  Yes he is on an iceberg.  I added too many sequins (LOL Who else is guilty of that!!!)   And I was so into the Copic coloring, I COMPLETELY forgot he was a polar bear.

But based on the look on his face, and that he is drinking his morning cocoa, my story (and I am sticking too it) is that the bear woke up from his long sleep to find out he was stuck on a iceberg.     Yep sticking to that story.

Note:  I have been using my ipad to take photos instead of my camera.  I swear everything is slightly blurry.  But I think you get the point.

Thanks for looking!!!

Supplies:

White cardstock
Cool Day stamps and dies from My Favorite Things
Clear Cardstock
Rectangle Frames dies from My Favorite Things
Deck the Halls Stamps
Hero Arts White Embossing Powder
Lawn Fawn Green Sparkle Hemp Cord
Black Memento Ink Pad
Copics  R11, R14, R17, BG0000, BG01 YG07, YG09, YG17, E33, E37
Sequins from Recollections (snowflakes silver and white)  and other misc sequins
Distress Ink Peacock Feathers, Broken China, Salted Ocean