Seaside Bookmark

I wanted to CASE one more of Christine's creations for the Flourishes Friday Focus CASE Challenge, and the deadline is looming, so I'll be quick. ;)

Check out this great masculine bookmark Christine made using the What A Catch stamp set. Her coloring on that image is amazing, isn't it! I don't have that stamp set, or any other fishing stamps, but I do have the A Guiding Light stamp set, that has some fab masculine images. I colored the lighthouse image with Copics and added a little glimmer to the sand and water with a Spica pen. After distressing everything (you know I can't make something without at least a little distressing!), I used her general layout to put it all together. I had to raid my DD's shell collection for the little seashell at the top of the bookmark. :)

I'm entering this in the following challenges:
Flourishes Friday Focus CASE Challenge: Case Christine
ColourQ Case Challenge #191
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Into the Woods (I used a wood image dp)

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your evening!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: A Guiding Light (Flourishes)
Paper: Dolled Up (My Mind's Eye); Clippings (Basic Grey)
Ink: Copics; Distress; Memento; Spica pen
Accessories: Corner Chomper; jute; seashell; circle punches; pearls; Zing embossing powder; eyelet
Size: 2.75" x 5.5"

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Grow

I'm back! I made this card for my DD's principal, who is retiring after tomorrow. I'm sorry to see her go, because everything runs perfectly with her in charge, and my DD still has two more years to go to that school. The incoming principal for next year will have some big shoes to fill!

Is that not the sweetest face ever? I just love this stamp! It was a freebie from Krista at Saturated Canary, and it's my first time to color one of her images, but I guarantee you, it won't be my last time.

I colored the image with Copics and used a white charcoal pencil to do a little highlighting. There are two small dots of Stickles on her hair barrettes. I sponged the edges of the layers with Distress Ink, then used my Distrezz-It-All to scrape the edges of the panels, which are popped up with layers of crimped cs.

You can see the raised layers better in this picture.

This month's Verve Diva Dare is Stars & Stripes, so I added some glittery gold star-shaped brads. Once they were on the card, I realized that they look just like the gold stars I used to get on my school papers in grammar school. Given that this card is for an educator, I thought the stars were a nice detail.

This sentiment comes with the digital stamp. You can't see it very well in the photos, but after coloring the letters with Copics, I gave them a subtle shine with a Spica Pen.  I used the inside part of the Rounded Scalloped Frame die for the sentiment layer.

The inside is distressed to match the front of the card, and like the sentiment on the front, the stars here got some glimmer with a Spica pen.

The little girl on the card is holding a potted orchid, so I got one for my DD to give to her principal, too.

I don't think those blooms could be any more beautiful!

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a chance to get inky this week! ;)

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Viva la Verve - May 2013 Week 3 Sketch Challenge
Verve Stamps: Stars & Stripes May 2013 Diva Dare
ColourQ Challenge #190
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Flower Power
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Favorite Ink (mine is Distress Ink)

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Grow--Digital Stamp (Saturated Canary); Super Dad (Verve); Vertical Greetings (MFT Stamps)
Paper: Reunion (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Copics; Distress Ink; Spica marker; Memento
Dies: Rounded Scallop Frame Die (Verve)
Accessories: White charcoal pencil; Ribbon; star brads; rhinestones; Stickles; sewing thread; Distrezz-It-All
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Sunny Hello

I've got a card today that uses one of the images I've recently colored since my Copic classes. See if you can spot the blooper I made on this card. I'll tell you what it is at the end of the post. ;)

I've had that cute Elisabeth Bell stamp for awhile, but have been too intimidated to color it until now. I can see areas that could have been colored better, but all-in-all, I like how it turned out.  The yellow pearls in the corners are made with a Pearl Pen.

You can see the layers a little better in this photo. I lifted the image layer with layers of crimped cs, and popped the "sun" up with a foam dot. 

The inside is blank for plenty of room for personalization.

Did you spot the blooper? Well, the little girl is facing the yellow "sun" die cut, but the shadow under the umbrella would have been cast with the sun a little bit behind her right shoulder. Nit-picky, I know, but ever since my Copic classes, I'm more aware of things like that. C'est la vie, right! :) 

A BIG Happy Mother's Day to all you beautiful mothers out there! 

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Sketch Saturday #258
ColourQ Challenge #188
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #219 (Black Accents--I used black matting)

~Hugs,

Stamps: April Showers (Elisabeth Bell Designs); Sunny Days (Verve); April Showers (Flourishes)
Paper: Tangerine (My Mind's Eye)
Ink: Copics; Distress; Memento; Versafine; white gel pen
Dies: Classic Squares Lg & Sm, Peony (Spellbinders); Dainty Lace Border (MFT Die-namics)
Accessories: Pearl Pen; sewing thread; foam dots
Size: 5.5" sq.

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Secret of Nature

I'm trying to enter two challenges ending in less than two hours, so I'll be brief. ;)

I used another Viva la Verve sketch for this card, made my own background paper for the Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge, made a frame for the Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #216, and used the ColourQ #185 color palette.

The bg paper started out as white with teeny little pin dots. I randomly added a music stamp in purple, a thistle stamp in dark pink, sponged a dark teal on the edges of the paper, dragged the edges through water to make the ink run and to curl the edges a bit, then sewed the edges with a wonky straight stitch. The frame was made with a Coke can. I cut it with a square die, cut out an oval opening with another die, embossed the frame, rounded the corners, then colored it with alcohol inks. It is glued to the sentiment panel, which is matted with a black square. I dry embossed the red banner, but it was really stark against the dp's, so I swiped a white paint dauber over it to mute the color.

The inside is pretty simple, and I left it blank because I'm not sure yet what kind of card I want it to be.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a great week!

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #216: Frame It! (FTTC216)
Viva la Verve April 2013 Week 3 Sketch Challenge (VLVApr2013)
ColourQ Challenge #185 (CQC185)
Simon Says Stamp & Show: Background

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Nature's Pace (Stampin Up)
Paper: Basics White Paper Pad (Basic Grey); Madeline (Prima)
Ink: Distress; Adirondack Alcohol Ink
Dies: Banner Stacklets 1 (Taylored Expressions); Blossom, Labels 18, Classic Squares Sm, Classic Ovals Sm (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Paper Lace II embossing folder, Decorative Tile embossing folder (Cuttlebug); ribbon; crystal; Stickles; acrylic paint dauber (Adirondack); sewing thread; Coke can
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Something Wonderful

Hi Friends! I hope you had a good week. Got big plans for the Easter weekend? Except for church on Friday night (our church is having multiple Easter services all weekend long to accommodate the large crowds we always get at Easter), we'll be having a quiet one at home this year, so I'm sure I'll have some crafting time in there somewhere. ;)

My card today is a birthday card in beautiful spring colors, based on this week's ColourQ challenge, and the layout is from the MFT Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch.

Isn't that dp beautiful? It's from a new 6x6 pad that I believe is exclusive to Joann's, called Journeys, by Kathy Davis. The entire pad is in blue, green, and purple. I was so glad when I saw the ColourQ color palette this week, so I had a reason to use it. And, with this layout, I was able to cut the dp so that the word "beauty" in the upper right corner wasn't covered up by anything.

The card is simple, with some sewing, a metal embellishment, and Bloomers in the upper corner . On the sentiment die cut, I sponged Memento and Distress Inks inside the die, stamped the sentiment, then, using Distress Ink, I inked up a small flourish stamp, spritzed it with water to try to achieve a watercolor look, then stamped it above and below the sentiment. Not sure if I was successful with that, but I do like how it turned out. ;)

On the inside, I used Lavender Stickles around the circle die cut to add a little more color and pizzazz.

I still need at least two more birthday cards real soon, so you may see me here again tomorrow. In the meantime, thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
My Favorite Things Wednesday Stamp Club Sketch Challenge #117 (MFTWSC117)
Flourishes Timeless Tuesday Challenge #213: Grab Some Thread (FTTC213)
ColourQ Challenge #182 (CQC182)-- **ColourQ Courtier Winner**
Simon Says Stamp Challenge: Anything Goes
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Quotable

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Pearls of Wisdom (MFT Stamps); In the Word (Taylored Expressions); Signature Greetings II (PTI)
Paper: Journeys (Kathy Davis)
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento
Dies: Circle Border (Simon Says Stamp); Std Circles Lg (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Mystic Embossing Folder (Spellbinders); Bloomers (Webster's Pages); Stickles; metal embellishment; sewing thread
Size: 5" sq.

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Age is Just a Number

Hi Friends! I'm feeling a little sleep deprived right now, so I'm going to make this short and to the point. :)

I needed another masculine birthday card, so I used the Week 2 Viva la Verve March 2013 sketch and the ColourQ #181 color palette. I wouldn't normally think of a bright yellow card as masculine, but with the blues, white, and little black flags, it has a nautical feel to me. And, that can be masculine, right? ;) The card is mostly self-evident, but one thing I will point out is that the dp was originally just blue and white. I added the yellow with a Copic marker to help it tie into the yellow bg cs.

Here's a peek at the inside.

I just realized tonight that I only have 3 birthday cards left in my card stash, and they are all decidedly feminine! So, you'll probably be seeing birthday cards from me for awhile, until I replenish my stock. :)

Thanks for stopping by and enjoy the rest of the weekend!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:
Viva la Verve March 2013 Week 2 Sketch Challenge (VLVMar2013)
ColourQ Challenge #181 (CQC181)
Simon Says Stamp & Show Challenge: Water (Nautical colors)

Stamps: Signature Greetings, Signature Greetings II (Papertrey Ink); Daily Junque (Pink Paislee)
Paper: Colorbok Pattern Pack
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Copic 
Dies: Nested Lacey Pennants (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Zigzag chain border punch (EK Success); Woodgrain embossing folder (Sizzix); Cloud Corner Chomper; Mini Round Gems; Buttons; Enamel Accents; Stickles
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Wishing You Luck!

Hi Friends!  I'm, yet again, trying to get a card finished for a challenge at the last minute, so this is going to be really short. :)

My color palette on this card comes from the ColourQ Challenge #180, and I used the Sketch Saturday #249 layout. (As a bonus, Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #211 this week is Go Green!) I added some rhinestones, twine and a couple of extra scallops, but other than that, I stuck to the sketch. Using the chalkboard technique, I heat embossed the sentiment in white (it's a combination of three different stamps from the dollar bin), stamped over that with white ink, and finally, used a white and a lime green colored pencil for accents. For the bricked embossed layer, I inked the embossing folder with white ink before embossing. 

On the inside I simply layered several die cuts, stamped the sentiment and was done. I may go back and color in the pot of gold later.

I don't send out St. Patty's Day cards, and I know this would immediately be thought of as one, but since I haven't referenced the holiday anywhere on it, I think it would work for any kind of "good luck" occasion.

Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend!

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Sketch Saturday #249

Flourishes Timeless Tuesday #211: Go Green! (FTTC211)

ColourQ Challenge #180 (CQC180)

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Studio G
Ink: Distress; Colorbox; Versamark; Memento
Dies: A2 Matting Basics, Labels 21, Labels 4 (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Diamond Lace Edge Punch (EK Success); Bricked embossing folder (Sizzix); white embossing powder; Prismacolor pencils; rhinestones; twine (The Twinery); ribbon
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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When Friends Meet

Hi Friends! I hope you had a good day today. I spent most of mine in the craft room, which is always good! Wanna see what I made?

I used the Mojo Monday 283 sketch for the layout, and the ColourQ Challenge 179 for my color palette. I sewed around the edges of the bg dp and the horizontal layer, stapled the postage stamp to a piece of yellow cs, and layered the sentiment die cut over a circle of kraft cs. The stamp and the sentiment are both "popped up" with crimped cs. The brown splatter on the coral dp is a spritz of brown Dylusions Ink Spray, and I made my own spray with Tea Dye Distress Ink and water to spritz on the sentiment die cut. Stickles are dotted around the edge of the sentiment circle.

Here's a better look at the stamp. The thin black lines on the yellow cs were made with a Micron pen and the postage stamp edges were made with a punch.

The banner dp here is the back side of the bg dp on the front of the card. The sentiment on the inside and outside of the card is actually one stamp. I just inked up the first of it for the front of the card, and the last part for the inside. I colored the heart with Copics, and you can't tell in the photo, but I also added Glossy Accents to it. More Dylusions Ink Spray is on the bottom of the coral paper on the inside of the card, but I also used a spatter stamp for more distinct looking spots.

I'll be entering this card in the following challenges:

Mojo Monday 283 Sketch Challenge (MOJO283)

ColourQ Challenge #179 (CQC179)

Thanks for stopping by!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: When Friends Meet (Quietfire); Spatter (Impression Obsession)
Paper: Bramble Rose (My Mind's Eye); kraft cs
Ink: Distress Ink; Memento; Dylusions Ink Spray; Micron pen
Dies: Splendid Circles, Std Circles Lg, Jewel Flowers & Flourishes (Spellbinders); Banner Stacklets 1 (Taylored Expressions)
Accessories: Postage Stamp Edge Punch (EK Success); postage stamp embellishment (Recollections); mini staples; Glossy Accents; Stickles; Flowers; rhinestones; Sewing Thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Path of Life

I'm baaack. :)This is the smallest card I've made so far, and it took longer than any other to make because of the design. The Love Fest challenge I tackled this time is the one I thought might be the most difficult for me, and so far, it is. It's the Flip, Flap, or Oddles of Folds Challenge sponsored by Scor-Pal (LOVEFEST2013D). I think this would be called a Z-Fold card.

I used the Viva la Verve February 2013 Week 4 sketch, turning it on it's side and moving the flags to the bottom. I also relocated the sentiment. Other than that, I followed the sketch. The color palette is from ColourQ Challenge #177. The flags are cut from a cork sheet and adhered between the green scalloped edge and the card base (behind the butterfly dp) so that when the card is opened, the flags lie across the second (personalization) panel. The card is held closed with a magnet.

When the card is opened, there is a butterfly on the back panel. I cut it from dp, then embossed it twice with UTEE. The back panel was stamped with a butterfly background stamp in Versamark and heat embossed with 3 different colors of embossing powder, then I sewed the edges with a straight machine stitch. One magnet is behind the left wing of the butterfly, and a foam dot behind the right wing, to even the wings out. The other magnet is on the back of the first panel of the card. I wanted to hide it behind the dp, but the magnet was so thick, it caused a bulge, and I was afraid if it had to work with too many more layers of cards between them, the magnets wouldn't hold tight enough.

You can see the butterfly a little better here, and the panel on the left is for personalization. It is just a piece of white cs with the edges cut with a Deco Corner Chomper. Distress Ink was sponged along the edges, and the flourish stamps along the edges were stamped three times--in light blue, green, and red inks. It gives them a little bit of a three-dimensional look.

Here's a good look at the butterfly. I really like the look UTEE gives paper embellishments.

I'm entering this card in the following challenges:

Splitcoaststampers Love Fest Challenge: LOVEFEST2013D (Flip, Flap, or Oodles of Folds, sponsored by Scor-Pal)
Viva la Verve February 2013 Week 4 Sketch Challenge (VLVFeb2013)
ColourQ Challenge #177 (CQC177)

Thanks for stopping by!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Special Gifts Labels 29 (Just Rite Clear); Small Butterfly Background (Our Daily Bread)
Paper: Poetic Postage (The Paper Studio)
Ink: Distress Ink; Versamark; Memento
Dies: Labels Twenty-five, Nested Lacey Pennants (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Scallop Diamond Edger (EK Success); embossing powder (Zing; Recollections); pearls; cork sheet; Deco Corner Chomper; UTEE; magnets; foam dots
Size: 4" x 4.5" closed; 8" x 4.5" overall

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You are a Blessing

Hi Friends! If you've visited my blog before, you have probably noticed that I tend to make cards with lots of layers, distressing, and embellishments. I love beautiful CAS cards, but I quickly meet my Waterloo any time I try to make one. So, normally, I just avoid making them, but I can't do that this time because the Week 5 Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge is a CAS sketch. I've already made all the other cards for the challenge this month, so I'm not not quitting now. And, besides, it IS a challenge, right? Well, I was definitely challenged!

This one didn't turn out too bad, but you should see my first attempt. On second thought, you shouldn't see it. It took me three hours to make and it turned out awful! The final version took all of 10 minutes to make, and it even looks presentable. I just stamped flowers all over the card, leaving an area blank for the sentiment. Then, using my scoreboard, I scored three lines across the top left edge of the card.

The inside is blank except for a few stamped flowers.

Gotta run...Thanks for stopping by!

I'd like to enter this card in the following challenges:

Viva la Verve Sketch Challenge: VLVJan2013 Week 5
ColourQ Color Challenge: CQC173
Delightful Sketches: Thinking of You

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Signature Greetings (Papertrey Ink); Sunny Days, Sweet Treats (Verve)
Ink: Memento; Distress Ink
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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