Ocean Waves Card

ETA: I had trouble with my computer a couple of weeks ago and didn’t get a chance to post this here on my blog. The challenge is over sadly but I thought you might still like to see this card.

I ADORE the beach and anything ocean or nautical themed. I wish I could live near the beach (especially if some magic could remove the big, dangerous storms!). I’d be out there all the time painting and playing with my kids.

So when I saw last month’s Hero Arts card kit, I was so happy! It includes such gorgeous layering images! And there are matching dies too. Yeah! For this card, I used various company’s inks to get a very ethereal quality. I’ll be honest, I was inspired to make this card after seeing a card by Veronica Zalis. But I do think it ended up different enough to call my own. My favourite inks I used were the Sea Glass and Dusk, one used on the first layer and one on the second. I tried using the middle colour that’s between these two, Ocean Waves, but it was too bright. Inking the stamps with the two I used worked much better for the soft look I was going for.

The background was stamped with schools of fish using a stamp from the set and the words were sponged on through a stencil from Red Lead Paperworks. An oval was cut to use as a background and was sponged with two aqua colours, one more blue than the other for the ‘water’ and the ‘sand’ was sponged with kraft ink. Some sequins, pearls and rainstones add some sparkle and a few clear seed beads make up a stream of ‘bubbles’.

Enjoy, Rebecca

SAF 2016

I have a bunch of cards to post and very little time before my computer dies. My son broke my charging cord so I’m sorry but this will be an abbreviated post.

Master Colour Recipes

PTI products used: melon berry, white, harvest gold cardstock, berry sorbet, hawaiian shores, teal ink, thread and button stamp sets.

Starry Night

PTI products used: plum cardstock, various inks as per tutorial, Out on a Limb stamp set

Gilded in Gold

PTI Products used: Ocean tides cardstock, border die

Floral Impressionism

PTI Products: tag die, sentiment, cardstock, various inks, Friendship jar stamp, button

Mastering Drips and Splatters

PTI products: You are a masterpiece stamp set, PTI cardstock

 

Pointillism Play

PTI products: confetti toss (dots), cardstock, sentiment, inks for flower

 

Watercolour like a Master

PTI Products used: sentiment, summer sunrise CS, various inks

 

Colour Blocking

all PTI products!

Team Farewell

Thanks to the PTI team for a fabulous day!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Picnic Time!

No, not for teddy bears though. Our challenge this week at Crazy 4 Challenges is to make a picnic themed card!

I have a picnic stamp set but I used it recently so I had to figure out what to do instead. I have this bbq die (Memory Box) that I used for some invitations to my (usually) yearly BBQ a while back so I pulled it out again. But by itself, it’s pretty boring so I stamped it in white cardstock so I could colour it with Copics, then built a little scene around it. The grass border (Memory Box) and the fence (PTI) held round out the backyard. I adhered it all to a piece of American Crafts paper so I wouldn’t have to piece the sun and cloud. I find it hard to use sheets of paper that really look best when not cut up so I was happy to be able to use this one.

I hope you can find a few minutes out of your summertime fun to play with our challenge this week. With temperatures reaching record highs in some places, including here in Southern Ontario, maybe inside is cooler than out especially if you have air con or a good cross breeze.

Enjoy, Rebecca

Puppy Congrats

My mom recently got a new puppy so I wanted to send her a congrats card.

I’ve saved (read: hoarded!!) this Max and Ruby paper by Basic Grey for a long time because it’s so perfect for this type of card. I’ve also done pet sympathy cards with this pad. The card is obviously very basic but I did add a layered sentiment to the card for some interest and height. I used turquoise card stock (SU!) for the top and then cut more layers using black cardstock (PTI). This helped the sentiment to stand out from the background.

Personally, I love all animals. I’ve always had the animals that won’t socialize or cooperate come to me. Like the horse that doesn’t want to be caught from the field or the dog that won’t anyone pet him. Right now I have a huge, rescued brown and white tabby we call Jesse. We walked in asking for a cat that acted like a dog and he sure is! If you know cats, you know that when they lower their stamdards to come and sit on your lap, the slightest shift in position or sneeze will send them running. Not Jesse! He loves to cuddle and even lets you move him around without getting grumpy. He’s special and fabulous. He’s getting a bit old now I think thought we don’t know his age. I hope he’s with us for a long while still.

Enjoy, Rebecca

I Am Here for You

A few weeks ago, one of my favourite bloggers, Yana Smakula, posted about her favourite ‘formula’ for making cards. I highly recommend you take a look here. It’s a great post!

I followed her formula to make this card for the current Sketch for Crazy 4 Challenges. I’ve always loved sketch challenges; there are so many ways to look at them and everyone comes up with such unique ideas! I started with a wood grain cardstock (SSS) and then die cut a doily-ish shape with Majestic Circles (Spellbinders) using gold Mirri cardstock. Once I decided on the placement of the doily, I sponged on Harvest Gold ink (PTI) so it would tint the card in and around the focal point. Then I flicked on diluted Dusk ink (Altenew) on the card base with a paintbrush.

The rose (PTI) was stamped with the teal inks (Altenew) for a layered look. The leaves were stamped with green inks (PTI) and the branch (Casual Fridays) was stamped with green inks (Altenew) then all were die cut. The sentiment (Altenew) was embossed in white on black cardstock. Last I assembled the card and added some sequins (Lucy’s Little Things). In the second photo you can see how pretty the gold cardstock looks. It even looks like real metal!

Can you play with our challenge this week? We would love to have you join us! Everyone is welcome using any supplies in any style!

Enjoy, Rebecca

CASE the Designer

I found a new-to-me challenge blog, Global Design Project a short while ago. This week their challenge was to CASE one of their designers, Steffi Helmschrott. Her card was so pretty, I just had to play.

The day I made this, I wanted to do something mixed media, but I couldn’t decide what to make. When I saw this challenge, it was so perfect! I started with white cardstock on a kraft base. But I didn’t want to just stamp or stencil ink on the background so I added some gold crackle paste (Prima) through a stencil (Tim Holtz). Then I added a postmark like you can see on her card but went a bit further and added a few more as well as some cancellation stamps.

For the green I added some leafy die cuts (PTI) and instead of the butterfly, I added a lovely lacy flower (Prima). For finishing touches, I sponged some ink on both the card base and on the focal panel. I added a gold embossed sentiment on vellum and some sequins. The button in the middle of the flower was originally plain wood so I coloured it with a gold paint pen so it would match better. I had so much fun playing with this challenge. I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Enjoy, Rebecca

Entered in: Global Design Project #44

Punny Get Well Card

I am always searching for good get well sets that can be used for teenaged or adult guys. For ladies, a nice floral card will always work but not so much for guys. Yeah, you can always use an outdoor theme like a light house or trees but those seem too serious for me which isn’t always needed. So I was super excited to find this great set with some very funny sayings by Hampton Arts!

In case you can’t read it, the type is pretty small, the sentiment says “Hope you’ll soon be fully re-covered!” Those hospital gowns are the worst aren’t they? I stamped the image with Archival ink on watercolour paper and used my professional watercolour paints (various manufacturers) to paint him. I added some stubble with a very tiny Micron pen. If you look closely, you’ll see that he has a tan line on his butt and his legs. Too many hours on that riding mover wearing only shorts! Can’t you just see him on a mower with a beer in one hand?? The painting looks a bit washed out but when I tried to edit it, the cardstock colours became too strong.

I used a colour combo from a challenge blog but I’m sure the entry is now closed. The layout was the result of finding a gatefold card in my scraps bag when I was looking for a half sheet for the card base. So I figured, why not? The medication die cuts are by Marianne. I used a Frantic Stamper die to make the little half circle tab to help keep my card closed. But I just realized now that since I’m not used to making gatefold cards, there is the distinct possibility that I glued the pill bottle to the card as well as to the main panel which will of course mean it’s glued shut! ARGH!!! {I’m actually laughing at myself right now!!}

Enjoy, Rebecca

Shabby Lighthouse Card

Welcome to July! Can you believe the year is already HALF over!!?? What??

This week our Crazy 4 Challenges theme is lighthouses! Or if you don’t have any paper, stamps, dies or embellies of lighthouses than you can create an ocean theme! I used this great paper by Webster’s pages, circle dies by Spellbinders and a sentiment by SSS. BTW, the blue paper I stamped on is much greyer and matches the flowers in the corner of the patterned paper IRL.

I hope you love this theme and can find time to play along with us this holiday weekend! (Is it the holiday weekend for the USA too? I think so.) We always love to see you play along and appreciate your comments too.

Enjoy, Rebecca