A Bold & Beautiful, Happy Hello!

Hi Friends! Quick post here...I wanted to enter the Bold & Beautiful new release challenge (FLLCJULRW1) over at Flourishes, so I have a very bright card to share with you today, that was simple and quick to make.

I think this is my first time to use this medallion stamp. Isn't it beautiful? The detail, even with embossing, is amazing! I really like the bright pink and yellow embossing on the neon green cs, and the blue layers keep the card from completely blinding you! :) I added a touch of Stickles on the flower.

The layers are raised with crimped cs. I've talked about how I do it in previous posts, but if you have any questions, just leave a comment or send me an email--it's a very simple technique, and is perfect for large pieces, like on this card. Here, I cut slots in the crimped paper layers, where the pompom trim wrapped around, so that there wouldn't be a bulge in those spots.

I wanted the inside to be bright and happy, too, but also have enough room to write a short personal message. The pink, embossed corners were made with a stamp from the $1 bin at Joann's.

That's it, for now. Thanks for stopping by, and have a BEAUTIFUL weekend!

~Hugs,

 

Stamps: Medallion Motif (Flourishes); Fleur de Lis accent (Inkadinkadoo)
Ink: Distress Ink; Clear Distress Embossing Ink
Dies: Labels Thirteen (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Abstract Flower Edge Punch (EKSuccess); embossing powder (Zing); rhinestones; flower; Stickles; ribbon & mini pompom trim; paper crimper 
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Sense of Wonder

Hi Friends! I've got another challenge card to share with you today, but have more to make, so I'll try to be brief.

Flourishes is having a B&W+1 Challenge, and the winner receives all three new release sets! How awesome is that!!! The deadline is Friday at 5PM, so hurry, if you want to enter.





And, the first week of the month at Mojo Monday is the Mojo Madness Contest with prizes for the top picks. You have until Sunday at 8PM MT for that one.


So, let's get to it!


For the B&W+1 Challenge, I used the required black and white, and my one other color is a sort of olive green/old gold color. Even looking at it in person, I can't exactly tell what I should call it, but it's a beautiful color.

I used my Copic airbrush to color the sentiment die cut, stamped it with a sentiment from the Pears stamp set, then added 3 pearls. I tied the seam binding bow with my peg bow maker that my hubby made for me following Becca's instructions. But, you don't have to make your own now...Flourishes is getting ready to carry the Becca Peg Bow Maker in their store!!! If you don't already own one, and you love beautiful bows, you will definitely want to get this baby as soon as it is in stock!



I stamped the small floral image from the Pears set on the gold-colored dp Labels Seven die cut, and added some Stickles to the center of the flowers for shine.

I love decorating the inside of my cards. Sometimes I stick with a simple design, but sometimes, like today, I go all out.

I got the Labels Seven die this past weekend at the stamp convention I attended, and I am loving it! I used it for the two tilted panels on the front of the card, and on the inside, I cut two windows in the old gold cs, and layered a piece of the black lace dp behind the smaller one. 

I cut one of the smaller dies and sponged Crushed Olive Distress Ink inside the die and stamped a sentiment from the Life Lines stamp set on it. The little black die cuts behind it are the left over negs from the black tag I cut out for my Lots of Love card yesterday. 

Then I took the same die that I used to cut the largest window, and used it as a template to cut a piece of white cs with my craft knife--I cut inside the die to leave just a smidgen of the black cs as a mat. Finally I inked up the same floral stamp that I used on the front (Crushed Olive Distress Ink this time), stamped off one time, then stamped onto the die cut. It looks darker in the photo than it is in person. It's actually light enough to be able to write a personal message over it.

So that's it for now. I may be back later today with another challenge card (I've got about 10 challenges on my to-do list). In the meantime, thanks for stopping by, and have a terrific day!

~Hugs, 

 

Stamps: Pears, Life Lines (Flourishes)
Paper: Little Black Dress (Basic Grey); Reflections (Prima)
Ink: Copic markers; Memento; Distress Ink
Dies: Labels Seven, Big Scalloped Ovals Sm, Classic Ovals Lg, Fancy Tags 3 (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Paper Lace II embossing folder (Cuttlebug); Tropical Paisley embossing folder (Sizzix); seam binding (Hug Snug); pearls; Stickles; sewing thread; foam dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Heavy Metal Best Wishes

Okay, I promise this is the last time you'll hear from me today. I'm here with my last card for a Flourishes challenge. This one is their Heavy Metal challenge. To play you must use a little metal on your card and you’re in the running. I don't know that this card is a "Heavy" metal card, but I did use two little metal brads on the sentiment panel, so I think that's enough to qualify. ;)

Thanks for hanging in to the end with me! I hope the rest of your day is super spectacular!!!

 

Stamps: Inkadinkadoo
Paper: Best of K&Co
Ink: Copics, Distress Ink
Dies: Lotus Pendant, Classic Ovals Lg (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Congrats embossing folder set (Cuttlebug); pearl; metal brads; sewing thread; Perfect Pearls Mist; foam dots
Size: xA2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Blessed is the Season

Hello there...again! I'm back to post another Christmas creation for a Flourishes challenge, but before I tell you about this really fun creation I've made, I wanted to thank Linda, over at Paper Boutique, for featuring my Prickley Pear Poinsettia candle in her Fab Five Friday today. Thanks, Linda! You made my day!!!

Okay, now on to my challenge entry. This project is for Flourishes Just Show Me! Challenge. To play, you scroll through Flourishes Tutorial Library HERE. Once you find a technique or project that you’d like to give a try, have some creative fun and make it! Well, let me tell you, they have some fantastic ideas in their library. I looked through it for quite a while--not because I couldn't find anything, but because I couldn't decide which one to try first! I ended up chosing a technique and a project: the Out of the Box technique, and Beate's Genie Bag project. I had a little trouble with the Out of the Box technique and ended up using my Curvy Cutter instead of a die, but the Genie Bag was so much fun to make! I'll be making this again!

Here's a photo of the back:

A couple of close ups:

I used these colors for the flowers:

About the color of this bag...I did begin with the idea that it would be a Christmas bag, and originally the layer behind the sentiment was green. But, I just didn't like the way it looked. The green seemed to take away from the stamped image, so I changed the die cut to black. Now, even though I think of this as being for Christmas, I suppose, even with this particular sentiment, it could easily pass as an Easter bag, too. 

So, I'm off to get my last post of the day written. See you again, real soon. ;)

Thanks for stopping by...again!

 

Stamps: Paperwhites (Flourishes); Joy (Michaels)
Paper: Watercolor Bouquet Bouquet (K&Co); Shimmer Stack (DCWV)
Ink: Copic Markers; Distress Ink
Dies: Ironwork Motifs, Parisian Accents, Parisian Motifs, Classic Circles Lg (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Ribbon (Michaels); Curvy Cutter (EK Success); paper lunch bag; Perfect Pearls Mist; Stickles; Enamel Accents (Inkksentials); foam dots
Size: Standard lunch bag trimmed to 4.5" tall (5" x 4.5")

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Sweet Smells of the Season

Hello there! First of all, I will go ahead and apologize for bombarding you with posts today. I just realized that three of Flourishes challenges end today at 5:00, so I've got to get a move on if I want to enter, and I REALLY want a shot at their new stamp sets. Have you seen them? Gorgeous!!!

This card is for Christmas, and I've made it to fit Flourishes' Name Game Challenge. The rules are to use your monogram as the inspiration for your creation! So, if your name starts with an “J” – add jewels! What about “B” –add a bow! How about a “P” – use a punch! Just that simple! Well, my initials are CDL, so I used Copics, Dies, and Liquid Pearls.

I started this card with absolutely no idea of how it might turn out. I didn't use a sketch, and all I knew was that I wanted to follow the Name Game rules and use these two darling gingerbread cookie people. First I colored them with Copic markers, then I made glitter glue with glitter and Mod Podge and painted them with it to mimic sparkling sugar crystals, but I may have used just a little too much glitter. It looks good straight on, but at an angle, it sparkles A LOT. I used Liquid Pearls on the buttons--still shiny, but toned down a bit. I'm just thinking of these as extra sweet, happy cookies, and that makes all that sparkle okay in my mind. ;)

I couldn't figure out how to arrange the cookies on the card individually, so I made a tiny baking sheet out of shimmer cardstock and "grouped" them together. I cut a rectangle, rounded the corners, then scored the edges at about 1/4", and folded them up slightly. I used some scrap fabric to sew a teeny tiny oven mitt. Boy, was that a chore. It's upholstery fabric and I had a heck of a time getting it turned right side out after sewing it. But, it did turn out cute.

I used a Fleur de Lis die behind the pan and flower to keep the space from looking too empty there, and a Beaded Circles die for the sentiment.

The rest is pretty self-explanatory, but if you want to know anything specific, just ask and I'll give you the details.

Here's a peek at the inside.

 Thanks for stopping by! Have a fabulous day!

 

Stamps: Sweets of the Season (Flourishes); Daily Junque (Pinkpaislee)
Paper: Gingerbread Fun (Designs by Krista-digital paper); Shimmer Stack (DCWV); Dinner Party-digital paper (Shabby Princess)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Memento; Copic Markers
Dies: Fleur de Lis Pendants & Beaded Circles (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Hemp Cord (Hobby Lobby); flower (Recollections); Corner Chomper; scrap fabric; doily; glitter; Mod Podge; Liquid Pearls; Perfect Pearls Mist; sewing thread
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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Coneflower Birthday

Hello there! I've got a card today that is for two challenges: Flourishes Colors of Fall Challenge and the Sweet Sunday Sketch Challenge #134. Aren't those fall colors yummy! I only needed to use one of the colors for the challenge, but I liked them so much, I went five: deep teal, cedar, phlox, coffee liquor, and quarry.

I inked up the coneflower stamp, from Flourishes' With Gratitude set, with Memento ink in Bamboo and colored the flowers with Copics, leaving the centers of the flowers alone.

See that blue background behind the flowers??? I finally got my gizmo! It's going to take a lot of practice (I ended up having to redo this image three times to get it even close to okay), but I can already tell that my Copic airbrush is going to get some use. I love it!

I followed the sketch almost exactly except I added a second velvet ribbon over the striped one and added an oval sentiment tag. Oh, and I promised my daughter that I would mention that the buttons came from her stash. Thanks, Sweetie! ;D

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

 

Stamps: With Gratitude, Kids Play, Moments in Time (Flourishes)
Paper: Tim Coffey-Cottage Garden (K&Co); Life's Journey (K&Co); So-So-Sweet (Paper Studio)
Ink: Tim Holtz Distress Ink; Memento; Copic Markers
Dies: Curved Rectangles, Fair Isle Border Petites; Classic Ovals; Fleur de Lis Motifs, Labels Sixteen (Spellbinders)
Accessories: Striped Ribbon (American Crafts-Elements); Velvet Ribbon (Fancy Pants Designs); Pearl Brads (Recollections); Buttons; Foam Dots
Size: A2 (4.25" x 5.5")

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